wm 


THE 


MOSLEM  WORLD 


Samuel  M.Zwemer 


MOHAMMED 
(An  Artist's  Conception) 


f-^\  .  way     cour-, 

The  Moslem  World 


By 
SAMUEL  M.  ZWEMER,  F.R.G.S. 

Sixteen  Years  a  Missionary  in  Arabia 


NEW  YORK 

YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  MISSIONARY  MOVEMENT 

OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  AND  CANADA 

1908 


Copyright,  1907  and  1908,  by 

Student  Volunteer  Movement 

FOR  Foreign  Missions 


TO  ALL  WHO  HAVE  DEDICATED  THEIR  LIVES 

TO  MISSIONARY  SERVICE 

IN  MOSLEM  LANDS 

BY  THEIR  WORK  OP  FAITH  AND  LABOR  OF 

LOVE  AND  PATIENCE  OF  HOPE 

AND  TO  ALL  WHO  SHALL  FOLLOW  THEM 

AND  ENTER  INTO  THEIR  LABORS 


CONTENTS 

Chapter  page 

Preface xi 

I    The   Great  Arabian   Prophet i 

II     The  Spread  of  His  Religion 31 

III  What  the  Moslems  Believe  and  Practise....  57 

IV  A  General  View  of  the  Moslem  World 85 

V     Social  and  Moral  Evils  of  Islam log 

VI    The  Story  of  Missions  to  Moslems 135 

VII     The  Present  Problem  and  Peril 163 

VIII    The  Day  of  Opportunity 189 

APPENDIXES 
A    Chronological    Table    of   Important    Events    in 
the  History  of  Islam  and  of  Missions  to 

Moslems 215 

B    List  of  Missionary  Societies 220 

C     Selected  List  of  Books  on  the  Moslem  World. .  222 
Index 225 


vu 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Mohammed  (an  artist's  conception) Frontispiece 

Mosque  of  Omar,  Jerusalem Page  37 

Mosque  of  Mohammed  Ali,  Cairo,  Egypt..  "  37 

Pilgrims  at  Mecca "  73 

The  Kaaba "  73 

Moslem   Pilgrims    Going   to    the  Tomb   of 

Moses,  east  of  Jerusalem "  79 

Interior  of  a  Mohammedan  Mosque,  China.  ''  91 

Prayer  in  the  Desert "  91 

Outdoor  Dress  of  Egyptian  Woman '•'  117 

A  Scene  in  Moslem  Lands "  117 

Moslem  Day  School,  Tunis "  123 

American  College  for  Girls,  Constantinople, 

Turkey.     Class  in  Biology "  123 

Robert  College,   Constantinople,  Turkey...  "  141 

Moslem   Converts,    India "  155 

American  Mission  Home,  Cairo,  Egypt....  "  169 

Syrian  Protestant  College,  Beirut,  Syria...  "  169 
Hospital,     School,     and    Chapel,     Bahrein, 

Arabia "  175 

Central  Turkey  College,  Aintab,  Turkey. . .  "  175 
Mohammedan  H^igh  Priests,  Leaders  of  the 

Constitutional      Revolt,      in      Teheran, 

Persia "  181 

College     Football     Team,     Constantinople, 

Turkey **  181 

American  College  for  Girls,  Constantinople, 

Turkey.     Class  of  1907 "  197 

Assiut   College,   Assiut,   Egj^pt.     Freshman 

Qass,    1907 "  197 

Colored  Map  and  Chart  of  the  Moslem  World — End. 


VL 


PREFACE 

In  the  early  spring  of  1906,  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement 
for  Foreign  Missions  requested  me  to  write  a 
text-book  on  Mohammedanism,  suitable  for  use 
in  the  mission  study  classes  of  the  colleges  and 
universities.  This  volume,  under  the  title  Islam: 
A  Challenge  toFaith,  was  published  in  the  autumn 
of  1907.  In  the  preface  I  wrote:  "There  is  no 
lack  of  literature  on  Mohammed  and  Islam,  as 
is  very  evident  from  the  very  extensive  bibliog- 
raphy of  the  subject  in  all  the  languages  of 
Europe,  not  to  speak  of  the  Hterature  written 
by  Moslems  themselves.  But  at  the  same  time 
there  is  great  ignorance  even  among  cultured 
people  of  the  real  character  of  Mohammed  and 
the  real  doctrine  and  moral  value  of  Islam,  as 
well  as  of  its  wide-spread  aggressive  power  as 
a  missionary  religion.  To  present  the  subject 
anew  needs  no  apology,  especially  since  much 
of  the  best  literature  on  Islam  is  inaccessible 
to  most  readers,  being  in  a  foreign  language. 

"This  book  lays  no  claim  to  originality  save 
in  the  form  in  which  the  results  of  the  labors  of 
others  in  this  wide  field  are  presented.  The 
xi 


xii  Preface 

bibliographies  given  for  each  chapter  show  the 
sources  of  information.  The  purpose  of  the 
book  is  to  present  Islam  as  a  challenge  to  the 
faith  and  enterprise  of  the  Church.  It  has  a 
message  for  those  who  believe  the  gospel  and 
believe  that  the  gospel  is  the  power  of  God  unto 
salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth — to  the 
Mohammedan  no  less  than  to  the  heathen." 

Each  chapter  was  intended  as  a  study  by  it- 
self on  the  Mohammedan  religion  in  its  different 
aspects,  and  the  needs  and  opportunities  of  the 
Mohammedan  world  from  the  standpoint  of 
Christian  missions.  For  the  sake  of  complete- 
ness, references  and  authorities  were  in  every 
case  added  to  the  book,  and  the  facts  for  the 
full  treatment  of  so  wide  a  theme  were,  in  some 
cases,  overcrowded  for  the  sake  of  brevity.  The 
class  of  readers  kept  in  mind  determined  the 
use  of  the  material  and  the  style  of  the  writer. 

When,  therefore,  the  Young  People's  Mission- 
ary Movement  proposed  to  use  this  text-book 
on  the  Mohammedan  world  it  was  felt  by  their 
Editorial  Committee  that  certain  changes  would 
be  necessary  to  adapt  it  to  their  constituency. 
By  omitting  some  chapters,  uniting  others,  and 
presenting  the  remaining  ones  in  a  different 
form,  this  end  was  attained,  and  the  book  now 
goes  out  on  its  second  errand  with  the  same 
message  but  in  a  different  setting. 


Preface  xiii 

At  a  time  when  the  missionary  societies  are 
awakening  to  the  needs  of  the  unevangelized 
Mohammedan  world,  every  one  should  know 
what  Mohammedanism  is,  how  it  arose,  what 
are  the  elements  of  its  strength  and  its  weak- 
ness, and  what  Christian  nations  have  done  and 
can  do  for  Moslems.  This  book  gives  the  story 
of  the  great  Arabian  Prophet  and  the  spread  of 
his  religion.  It  tells  what  Moslems  believe  in 
regard  to  this  life  and  the  life  that  is  to  come, 
and  what  they  think  they  must  do  in  order  to 
gain  salvation.  In  a  general  view  of  the  Moslem 
world,  the  social  and  moral  evils  of  Islam,  to- 
gether with  the  power  of  this  system  on  the 
lives  of  its  votaries,  are  exhibited.  The  story 
of  missions  to  Moslems  is  briefly  sketched,  and 
shows  by  typical  examples  what  can  be  done 
and  should  be  done  to  meet  the  present  problem 
and  peril  in  this  day  of  opportunity. 

May  the  study  of  this  theme  lead  many  to 
pray  for  the  millions  still  under  the  yoke  of 
the  false  prophet,  and  arouse  the  spirit  of  Chris- 
tian chivalry  in  the  hearts  of  the  young  people 
who  read  these  chapters,  so  that  they  may  de- 
vote their  lives  to  carrying  the  gospel  to  every 
Moslem  land. 

S.   M.   ZWEMER. 

New  York,  April,  1908. 


THE  GREAT  ARABIAN 
PROPHET 


Why  is  Christianity  ethically  noble  and  powerful? 
Christianity  has  an  ethical  God.  It  knows  a  God  with 
a  character,  and  that  the  best  possible  character — a 
perfectly  good  God.  It  declares  that  the  character  of 
God  has  been  shown  to  us  men,  and  lived  out  in  our 
presence  in  the  character  of  his  son  Jesus  Christ.  It 
declares  that  the  character  of  God  is  the  standard  for 
men,  and  that  the  good  God  has  drawn  near  in  self- 
revelation,  on  purpose  to  help  men  reach  this  standard. 
— William  Newton  Clarke 

We  can  but  state  a  strong  conviction  when  we 
afhrm  that  a  series  of  minute  facts  leave  no  doubt  on 
our  mind  that  Mohammed  was  from  first  to  last  abso- 
lutely sincere.  He  really  believed  that  any  strong 
conviction,  even  any  strong  wish,  that  he  entertained 
was  borne  in  upon  him  by  a  power  external  to  him- 
self; and  as  the  first  and  most  memorable  of  these 
convictions  was  faith  in  God,  he  believed  that  power 
to  be  God,  and  himself  its  Messenger.  The  mode  of 
expressing  his  convictions  was  imdoubtedly  an  inven- 
tion ;  but  that  the  basis  of  his  faith  in  himself  was  sin- 
cere, admits,  to  our  mind,  of  little  question.  Behev- 
ing  himself  the  Messenger  of  the  Almighty,  no  position 
save  that  of  despot  was  possible  to  him. 

— Meredith  Townsend 

By  a  fortune  absolutely  unique  in  history  Moha,m- 
med  is  a  threefold  founder — of  a  nation,  of  an  empire, 
and  of  a  religion.  .  .  .  Scarcely  able  to  read  or 
write,  he  was  yet  the  author  of  a  book  reverenced  to 
this  day  by  the  seventh  of  the  whole  human  race  as  a 
miracle  of  purity  of  style,  of  wisdom,  and  of  truth. 

— R.  Bosworth  Smith 


I 

THE  GREAT  ARABIAN  PROPHET 

About  the  year  570  A.  D.,  Abdullah,  the  son  Birth  of 
of  Abd  ul  Muttalib,  a  Mecca  merchant,  went  on 
a  trading  trip  from  Mecca  to  Medina,  and  died 
there.  A  few  months  after  his  death  his  wife, 
Amina,  gave  birth  to  a  boy,  who  was  named 
Mohammed.  One  hundred  years  later  the  name 
of  this  Arab,  joined  to  that  of  the  Almighty,  was 
called  out  in  ten  thousand  minarets  five  tim_es 
daily  from  the  Persian  Gulf  to  the  Atlantic,  and 
his  new  religion  was  sweeping  everything  before 
it  in  three  continents. 

Who  was  this  hero-prophet,  what  was  his  en-  ^ow  Explain 
vironment,  and  what  the  secret  of  his  genius? 
What  is  the  explanation  of  this  marvel  of  his- 
tory? Many  theories  have  been  given,  and  the 
true  explanation  of  the  spread  of  Islam  is  prob- 
ably the  sum  of  all  these  theories:  the  weak- 
ness of  the  Oriental  Churches;  their  corrupt 
state;  the  condition  of  the  Roman  and  Persian 
empires;  the  easy-going  moral  character  of  the 
new  religion;  the  power  of  the  sword  and  of 
fanaticism ;  the  great  truths  of  Islam ;  the  genius 
3 


4  The  Moslem  World 

of  Mohammed's  successors;  the  hope  of  plunder; 
and  the  love  of  conquest — such  are  some  of  the 
causes  given  for  the  growth  of  the  new  religion 
from  a  minority  of  one  to  an  immense  army  of 
believers.  Yet  none  of  these  theories,  nor  all 
of  them  together,  can  omit,  as  the  supreme 
cause  of  success,  the  genius  of  Mohammed.  To 
the  believing  Moslem  this  is  the  whole  explana- 
tion. And  it  is  simple,  because  it  is  super- 
natural. All  things  are  possible  with  God,  and 
God  sent  Mohammed  as  the  last  and  greatest 
apostle.  Let  us  first  of  all  look  at  Mohammed 
from  the  standpoint  of  those  who  believe  in  his 
religion,  and  then  see  how  nearly  the  portrait 
given  resembles  the  original. 
A  Moslem  Here  is  a  description  of  the  prophet  by  Ad 

Damiri  (1349-1405  A.  D.),  a  prolific  author  and 
commentator,  a  scientist  and  a  philosopher. 
"Mohammed,"  he  says,  "is  the  most  favored 
of  mankind,  the  most  honored  of  all  the  apostles, 
the  prophet  of  mercy,  the  head  or  imam  of  the 
faithful,  the  bearer  of  the  banner  of  praise,  the 
intercessor,  the  holder  of  high  position,  the  pos- 
sessor of  the  River  of  Paradise,  under  whose 
banner  the  sons  of  Adam  will  be  on  the  day  of 
judgment.  He  is  the  best  of  prophets,  and  his 
nation  is  the  best  of  all  nations ;  his  companions 
are  the  most  excellent  of  mankind,  after  the 
prophets;  and  his  creed  is  the  noblest  of  all 


Portrait  of  the 
Prophet 


The  Great  Arabian  Prophet  5 

creeds.  He  performed  manifest  miracles,  and 
possessed  great  qualities.  He  was  perfect  in 
intellect,  and  was  of  noble  origin.  He  had  an 
absolutely  graceful  form,  complete  generosity, 
perfect  bravery,  excessive  humility,  useful 
knowledge,  power  of  performing  high  actions, 
perfect  fear  of  God,  and  sublime  piety.  He  was 
the  most  eloquent  and  the  most  perfect  of  man- 
kind in  every  variety  of  perfection,  and  the 
most  distant  of  men  from  meanness  and  vices. 
A  poet  says  of  him: 

'The  Merciful  has  not  yet  created  one  like  Mohammed 
And  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge  never  will  do  so.* 

"Ayeshah^  stated  that  the  prophet,  when  at  Favorite 
home,  used  to  serve  his  household;  he  used  to 
pick  out  the  vermin  from  his  cloak,  and  patch 
it;  mend  his  own  shoes,  and  serve  himself.  He 
used  to  give  fodder  to  his  camel,  sweep  the 
house,  tie  the  camel  by  the  fore  leg,  eat  with 
the  female  slave,  knead  dough  with  her,  and 
carry  his  own  things  from  the  market.  And  he 
used  to  be  constantly  in  a  state  of  grief  and 
anxiety,  and  never  had  any  peace  of  mind. 

**  Ali  stated  that  he  asked  the  prophet  regarding  au's 
his  mode  of  life,  and  that  he  replied:  'Knowledge 
is  my  capital;  love,  my  foundation;  desire,  my  Conclusion 
vehicle;    the   remembrance   of   God,   my  boon 

1  Mohammed's  favorite  wife. 


Wife's 
Estimate 


Statement  and 
Damiri's 


6  The  Moslem  World 

companion ;  grief,  my  friend ;  knowledge,  my 
arms;  patience,  my  cloak;  the  pleasure  of  God, 
my  share  of  plunder;  poverty,  my  distinction; 
renunciation  of  the  world,  my  profession;  faith, 
my  strength;  truth,  my  interceder;  obedience 
to  God,  my  sufficiency ;  religious  war,  my  nature ; 
and  the  refresher  of  my  eye  is  prayer.'  As  to 
his  humility,  liberality,  bravery,  bashfulness, 
fellowship,  kindness,  clemency,  mercy,  piety, 
justice,  modesty,  patience,  dignity,  trustworthi- 
ness, and  other  praiseworthy  qualities  innumer- 
able, they  were  all  very  great.  The  learned  have 
corn-posed  many  books  regarding  his  life,  his 
times,  his  mission,  his  wars,  his  qualities,  his 
miracles,  and  his  good  and  amiable  actions,  to 
describe  even  a  little  of  which  would  take  sev- 
eral volumes.  But  that  is  not  our  purpose  in 
this  book.  It  is  said  that  his  death  took  place 
after  God  had  perfected  our  religion,  and  com- 
pleted this  blessing  for  us,  at  noon  on  Monday, 
the  1 2th  of  Rabi'-al-Awal,  ii  A.  H.,^  at  the 
age  of  sixty-three  years.  His  body  was  washed 
by  Ali  bin  Abi  Talib,  and  he  was  buried  in  the 
chamber  which  he  had  built  for  the  mother  of 
the  faithful,  Ayeshah." 
A  Man  of  Whether  this  fanciful  though  beautiful  por- 

trait of  Mohammed  will  stand  the  test  of  history 


Talent 


1  Anno  Hegiros,  in  the  year  of  the  Hegira,  622  A.D.,  the  date  of 
Mohammed's  flight  from  Mecca  to  Medina. 


Mohammed 


The  Great  Arabian  Prophet  7 

we  shall  see  later.  Whatever  we  may  deny 
Mohammed,  we  can  never  deny  that  he  was  a 
man  of  great  talents.  He  was  not,  however,  a 
self-made  man.  His  environment  accounts,  in 
large  measure,  for  his  might  and  for  his  methods 
as  a  rehgious  leader.  What  was  that  environ- 
ment? 

There  is  no  doubt  that  Arabia,  for  two  cen-  Pagan  Arabia 
turies  before  Mohammed,  was  a  refuge  for  all 
sorts  of  religious  fugitives,  and  each  band  added 
something  to  the  national  stock  of  religious 
ideas.  There  were  Star- worshipers  in  the  north- 
west along  the  Euphrates;  Zoroastrians  came 
to  east  Arabia;  Jews  settled  at  Khaibar,  Medina, 
and  in  Yemen.  For  all  pagan  Arabia  Mecca  was 
the  center  many  centuries  before  Mohammed. 
Here  stood  the  Kaaba,  the  Arabian  Pantheon, 
with  its  three  hundred  and  sixty  idols — one  for 
each  day  in  the  year.  Here  the  tribes  met  in 
annual  pilgrimage,  to  rub  and  kiss  the  Black 
Stone,  to  run  around  the  Beit  Allah  or  B-jthel  of 
their  faith,  and  to  hang  portions  of  their  gar- 
ments on  the  sacred  trees.  At  Nejran  a  sacred 
date-plant  was  the  center  of  pilgrimage.  Every- 
where in  Arabia  there  were  sacred  stones,  or 
stone-heaps,  where  the  Arab  devotees  con- 
gregated, to  obtain  special  blessings.  The  Arabs 
were  always  superstitious,  and  legends  of  all 
sorts  cluster  around  every  weird  desert-rock, 


Arabia 


8  The  Moslem  World 

gnarled  tree,  or  intermittent  fountain  in  Arabia. 
Sacrifices  were  common,  and  the  blood  of  the 
offering  was  smeared  over  the  rude  stone-altars, 
while  the  flesh  was  eaten  by  the  worshiper. 
Such  was  the  pagan  worship  of  early  Arabia. 

The  Jews  of  The  Jews  came  to  Arabia  from  the  earliest 
times.  Since  the  days  of  Solomon  the  Red  Sea 
was  a  center  of  busy  traffic,  and  the  Hebrews 
had  probably  located  at  the  trading  ports.  A 
number  of  native  Arab  tribes  also  embraced 
Judaism,  and  at  the  time  of  Mohammed  we  find 
this  people  scattered  over  the  peninsula  in  small 
com.pact  colonies.  The  fact  that  the  Koran 
refers  repeatedly  to  the  Jews,  and  calls  them, 
as  well  as  the  Christians,  "People  of  the  Book," 
shows  that  they  possessed  and  used  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, and  that,  doubtless,  many  of  them 
could  read  and  write.  These  Jewish  colonies, 
with  their  teachers  and  their  Talmud,  had,  for 
centuries,  exerted  a  strong  educational  influence 
toward  monotheism.  And  it  is  evident,  not 
only  from  the  Koran,  but  from  the  earliest 
Moslem  biographies  of  Mohammed,  that  he  was 
greatly  indebted  to  Judaism,  both  for  his  doc- 
trines and  narratives. 

Early  There  is  no  doubt  that  Christianity  also  was 

widely  diffused  in  many  parts  of  Arabia  at  the 
time  of  Mohammed.  The  picture  of  the  Chris- 
tian monk  in  his  desert-cell,  with  his  night- 


Christianity  in 
Arabia 


The  Great  Arabian  Prophet  9 

lamp  and  books,  keeping  vigil,  is  common  in 
pre-Islamic  poetry;  and  there  were  also  Chris- 
tian poets.  As  the  Arabs  became  more  in- 
timately connected  with  the  Romans,  the  prog- 
ress of  Christianity  increased.  The  name  of  an 
Arabian  queen  is  mentioned  as  a  convert  to  the 
faith,  and  it  is  stated  that  she  invited  a  Chris- 
tian bishop  to  live  among  her  people.  An 
unfortunate  circumstance  for  the  progress  of 
Christianity  in  north  Arabia,  however,  was  its 
location  between  the  rival  powers  of  Rome  and 
Persia.  It  was  a  sort  of  buffer-state,  and  suf- 
fered in  consequence.  The  Persian  monarchs 
persecuted  the  Christian  Arabs,  and  one  of  their 
allies  forbade  all  intercourse  with  Christians  on 
the  part  of  his  subjects.  This  edict,  we  are  told, 
was  occasioned  by  the  success  of  the  preaching 
of  Simeon  Stylites,  the  pillar  saint,  celebrated  in 
Tennyson's  poem.  The  progress  or  even  the 
tolerance  of  Christianity  seems  to  have  been 
always  dependent  on  the  favor  of  the  ruler  of 
Persia.  Some  became  Christians  as  early  as 
380  A.  D.  And  one  of  the  early  converts  proved 
the  sincerity  of  his  faith  by  melting  down  a 
golden  statue  of  the  Arabian  Venus  worshiped 
by  his  tribe  and  distributing  the  proceeds  to  the 
poor.  Many  of  the  tribe  followed  his  example, 
broke  their  idols,  and  were  baptized.  So  early 
was  idolatry  doomed  in  north  Arabia — long  be- 


lO 


The  Moslem  World 


Islam's 
Beginning 


Political 
Factor 


fore  the  appearance  of  Mohammed.  It  was 
in  southwestern  Arabia,  however,  that  the  Chris- 
tian faith  exerted  its  greatest  power  and  made 
largest  conquest.  In  the  reign  of  Const antius, 
Theophilus  prevailed  on  the  Arabian  king  to 
accept  Christianity.  He  built  three  churches  in 
south  Arabia,  and  no  less  than  four  bishoprics 
were  established. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  condition  or 
the  teaching  of  Christianity  in  Arabia,  Moham- 
med came  in  contact  with  it  all  through  his  life. 
One  of  the  chief  stories  he  heard  in  his  boy- 
hood was  of  the  Christian  invasion  from  the 
south,  and  the  defeat  of  Abraha;  later  he  went 
to  Syria,  met  monks,  and  passed  through  the 
territory  of  the  Christian  tribes  of  northern 
Arabia;  after  he  becamxe  a  prophet  he  had  as 
wife  a  Christian  Coptic  woman,  Miriam,  the 
mother  of  his  darling  son,  Ibrahim.  For  good 
or  for  ill,  Mohammed  could  not  remain  wholly 
ignorant  of  Christianity,  and  therefore  it  is  not 
surprising  to  find  the  evidence  of  this  in  Islam. 
The  religion  of  Mohammed  and  Mohammed  him- 
self grew  up  in  a  land  where  these  three  systems 
of  belief.  Paganism,  Judaism,  and  Christianity, 
were  struggling  for  the  ascendancy.  And  we 
must  add  to  this  four  other  factors  which  stand 
out  clearly  in  the  life  of  Mohammed. 

There  was,  first  of  all,  the  political  factor. 


The  Great  Arabian  Prophet  ii 

The  "3^ear  of  the  elephant"  had  seen  the  de- 
feat of  the  Christian  army  from  Yemen,  which 
came  to  attack  Mecca  and  destroy  the  Kaaba. 
This  victory  was,  to  the  3'oung  and  ardent 
mind  of  Mohammed,  prophetic  of  the  pohtical 
future  of  Mecca,  and  no  doubt  his  ambition  as- 
signed himself  the  chief  place  in  the  coming 
conflict  of  Arabia  against  the  Romans  and  the 
Persians, 

Next  came  the  religious  factor.  The  times  Religious 
were  ripe  for  religious  leadership,  and  Mecca 
was  already  the  center  of  a  new  movement. 
Some  had  rejected  the  old  idolatry  and  enter- 
tained the  hope  that  a  prophet  would  arise 
from  among  them.  There  was  material  of  all 
sorts  at  hand  to  furnish  the  platform  of  a  new 
faith;  it  only  required  the  builder's  genius  to 
call  cosmos  out  of  chaos.  To  succeed  in  doing 
this,  it  would  be  necessary  to  reject  material 
also ;  to  construct  a  comprehensive  religion  and 
a  compromising  religion,  so  as  to  suit  Jew  and 
Christian  and  idolater  alike. 

In  the  third  place,  there  was  the  family  fac-  Family 
tor;  or,  in  other  words,  the  aristocratic  standing 
of  Mohammed.  He  was  not  a  mere  "camel 
driver."  His  was  the  ruling  clan  of  Mecca; 
Mecca  was  the  center  for  all  Arabia;  and  Mo- 
hammed's grandfather,  Abd  ul  MuttaHb,  was 
the  most  influential  and  powerful  man  of  that 


12 


The  Moslem  World 


Personal 
Factor 


The  First 
Period  of  His 
Life 


aristocratic  city.  The  pet-child  of  Abd  ul 
Muttalib  was  the  orphan  boy,  Mohammed. 
Until  his  eighth  year  he  was  under  the  shelter 
and  favor  of  this  chief  man  of  the  Koreish.  He 
learned  what  it  was  to  be  lordly  and  to  exercise 
power,  and  he  never  forgot  it.  As  in  the  case  of 
so  many  other  great  men  of  history,  his  en- 
vironment, his  early  training,  and  his  first  wife 
were  the  determining  personal  influences  in  the 
character  of  Mohammed. 

Finally,  the  ruling  factor  was  the  mind  and 
genius  of  the  man  himself.  Of  attractive  per- 
sonal qualities,  beautiful  countenance,  and  ac- 
complished in  business,  he  first  won  the  atten- 
tion and  then  the  heart  of  a  very  wealthy  widow, 
Khadija.  Mohammed  married  her  when  he 
had  reached  his  twenty-fifth  year. 

Soon  after  his  birth,  according  to  Arab  cus- 
tom, he  was  sent  to  be  nursed  by  an  Arab  woman 
of  a  neighboring  tribe,  where  he  remained  for  a 
period  of  two  years.  In  his  sixth  year  Moham- 
med was  taken  by  his  mother  to  Medina,  but  on 
the  return  journey  she  fell  sick  and  died.  The 
orphan  boy  was  then  taken  back  to  Mecca  and 
put  under  the  care  of  his  grandfather,  Abd  ul 
Muttalib,  and  when  the  latter  died,  two  years 
later,  under  that  of  his  uncle.  The  following 
beautiful  verses  in  the  Koran  are  Mohammed's 
eloquent  reference  to  this  period  of  his  life: 


The  Great  Arabian  Prophet  13 

"I  swear  by  the  splendor  of  light 

And  by  the  silence  of  night 

That  the  Lord  shall  never  forsake  thee 

Nor  in  his  hatred  take  thee; 

Truly  for  thee  shall  be  winning 

Better  than  all  beginning. 

Soon  shall  the  Lord  console  thee,  grief  no  longer  con- 
trol thee, 

And  fear  no  longer  cajole  thee. 

Thou  wert  an  orphan-boy,  yet  the  Lord  found  room 
for  thy  head. 

When  thy  feet  went  astray,  were  they  not  to  the  right 
path  led? 

Did  he  not  find  thee  poor,  yet  riches  around  thee 
spread  ? 

Then  on  the  orphan-boy,  let  thy  proud  foot  never  tread, 

And  never  turn  away  the  beggar  who  asks  for  bread, 

But  of  the  Lord's  bounty  ever  let  praise  be  sung  and 
said."i 

When  twelve  years  old  Mohammed  was  taken  Youth  and 
on  a  mercantile  journey  as  far  as  Syria.  Here  Manhood 
first  he  came  in  contact  with  Christians  and  met 
the  monk  Buhaira.  For  the  rest,  the  youth  of 
Mohammed  was  uneventful,  and  he  was  em- 
ployed, as  other  lads,  in  herding  sheep  and  goats. 
To  this  he  refers  in  the  traditional  saying, 
"Verily  there  hath  been  no  prophet  who  hath 
not  performed  the  work  of  a  shepherd."  At  the 
age   of  twenty-five   he   entered  the   service   of 


1  Sura  03.  Translation  printed  in  the  Edinburgh  Review  ior  }\x\y , 
1866,  article  "Mohammed."  It  has  all  the  rhyme  and  beauty  of  the 
original. 


14  The  Moslem  World 

Khadija,  a  rich  widow  of  Mecca,  whose  cara- 
van of  merchandise  he  attended,  and  once  more 
visited  Busra  (near  the  Jordan),  Aleppo,  and 
Damascus.  As  a  reward  of  faithful  service  he 
secured  her  hand  in  marriage,  and  lived  hap- 
pily with  her.  His  marriage  gave  him  promi- 
nence, and  he  took  a  leading  part  in  renewing 
an  old  federation  at  Mecca.  In  his  thirty-fifth 
year  he  settled  a  dispute  regarding  the  placing 
of  the  Black  Stone  in  the  reconstruction  of  the 
Kaaba. 
Prophetic  ^i  last   )^Q  received  the   call  to  become   a 

the  Hegira  prophct  in  the  cave  of  Hira,  and  communicated 
his  vision  to  his  wife,  Khadija,  who  believed 
in  its  validity.  After  a  period  of  mental  depres- 
sion other  revelations  followed,  and  he  began  to 
preach.  When  the  number  of  converts  rose  to 
fifty  and  Mohammed  spoke  sharply  against  the 
idols  of  the  Kaaba,  the  hostility  of  the  Mec- 
cans  was  aroused,  persecution  began,  and  some 
fled  to  Abyssinia.  In  the  tenth  year,  Khadija 
died,  and  the  same  year  Mohammed  negotiated 
two  new  marriages.  Attempting  to  convert  the 
people  of  Taif,  he  was  driven  out,  but  he  won 
over  a  party  of  twelve  from  Medina,  who  came 
on  a  pilgrimage  and  preached  the  faith  on  their 
return.  Shortly  after  Mohammed  determined  to 
flee  from  Mecca  to  Medina,  and  this  flight  dates 
the  Moslem  era,  the  Hegira,  622  A.  D. 


The  Great  Arabian  Prophet  15 

The  flight  to  Medina  changed  not  only  the  The  second 
scene,  but  the  actor  and  drama.     He  who  at  Le^°s?ator  and 
Mecca  was  the  preacher  and  wamer,  now  be-  wamor 
comes  the  legislator  and  warrior.     This  is  evi- 
dent from  the  Koran  chapters  revealed  after  the 
Hegira.     The  first  year  Mohammed  built  the 
great  mosque  and  houses  for  his  wives  and  his 
followers.     The  next  year  he  began  hostilities 
against  the  people  of  Mecca,  and  his  first  pitched 
battle  was  fought  at  Bedr,  where  his  force  of 
three   hundred   and   five   followers   routed  the 
enemy,  three  times  as  strong.^ 

The  Meccans,  aroused  by  the  defeat  at  Bedr,  Earlier 
advanced  upon  Medina,  defeated  the  Moslem 
army  at  Ohod,  and  Mohammed  himself  was 
seriously  wounded.  The  fourth  year  of  the 
Hegira,  war  was  waged  against  other  tribes  and 
Mohammed  also  married  a  fifth  and  sixth  wife. 
At  the  battle  of  the  Ditch  he  defended  Medina 
against  a  superior  force,  and  broke  up  their 
siege.  The  next  expedition  was  against  the 
Jews  of  Bni  Koraiza;  seven  hundred  captives 


1  The  description  of  the  battle  by  Muir  is  graphic  in  all  its  gruesome 
details.  "Abu  Jahl  was  yet  breathing  when  Abdullah,  Mohammed's 
servant,  ran  up  and,  cutting  off  his  head,  carried  it  to  his  master. 
'The  head  of  the  enemy  of  God,'  cried  Mohammed;  'God,  there  is 
no  other  god  but  he.'  "There  is  no  other,'  said  Abdullah,  as  he  cast 
the  bloody  head  at  the  prophet's  feet.  'It  is  more  acceptable  to 
me,*  cried  Mohammed,  than  the  choicest  camel  in  all  Arabia."* 
After  the  battle  Mohammed  gave  the  law  in  regard  to  the  division 
of  the  spoil,  one  fifth  for  the  prophet  and  for  the  rest  share  and  share 
alike  to  all.  No  quarter  was  given  to  the  enemy,  and  even  two  days 
after  the  battle  tlae  chief  prisoners,  among  them  Okba  and  Nazir, 
were  slain. 


i6 


The  Moslem  World 


Later 
Conquests 


He  Takes 
Mecca 


Rapid 

Advancement 
and  Closing 
Acts 


were  slain,  and  the  women  and  children  sold 
into  slavery.  Before  the  close  of  this  year 
Mohammed  married  Zainab,  the  wife  of  his 
freed  slave  and  adopted  son.  In  the  sixth  year 
of  the  Hegira  there  were  other  expeditions 
against  the  Jews  and  idolaters.  The  same  year 
Mohammed  wrote  letters  to  foreign  kings  and 
princes,  inviting  them  to  embrace  Islam. 

In  the  seventh  year  of  the  Hegira  Mohammed 
assembled  a  force  of  sixteen  hundred  warriors 
and  marched  against  the  Jewish  strongholds  at 
Khaibar;  the  Jews  were  subjugated  or  slain,  and 
there  was  much  booty,  including  a  new  wife  for 
the  prophet. 

The  next  year,  the  eighth  of  the  Hegira,  in 
pursuance  of  the  terms  of  the  truce  made,  he 
entered  Mecca  and  peacefully  performed  the 
ceremonies  of  the  old  pagan  cult,  thus  forever 
perpetuating  them  in  Islam.  Shortly  after,  be- 
cause of  renewed  hostility  at  Mecca,  Mohammed 
resolved  to  attack  his  native  city.  He  ap- 
proached with  ten  thousand  mien,  entered  Mecca 
without  a  battle,  destroyed  the  idols  in  the 
Kaaba,  and  administered  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  people. 

When  expeditions  were  sent  to  subdue  the 
neighboring  tribes,  and  Khaled  was  guilty  of 
ordering  a  whole  tribe  to  be  slain,  Moham- 
med   rebuked    him    and   sent   money   for   the 


The  Great  Arabian  Prophet  17 

widows  and  orphans  of  the  slain.  Other  war- 
Hke  expeditions  followed,  and  in  631  A.  D. 
Mohammed  issued  the  famous  command  that, 
after  four  years,  the  Moslems  would  be  ab- 
solved from  every  league  or  covenant  with 
idolaters,  and  that  thereafter  no  unbeliever 
would  be  allowed  to  make  the  pilgrimage.  The 
same  year  he  had  a  great  sorrow  in  the  death  of 
his  little  son,  Ibrahim.  The  next  year,  in  great 
state,  he  made  the  final  pilgrimage,  but  the 
excitement  and  fatigue  told  on  his  health,  for 
he  was  growing  infirm.  From  his  sick-bed  he 
sent  out  a  last  expedition,  under  Osama,  against 
the  Roman  border;  and,  after  a  final  address 
from  the  mosque  pulpit,  having  given  alms  to 
the  poor  and  counsel  to  his  followers,  he  lay 
down  to  die  on  Ayeshah's  lap. 

Muir  tells  the  story  thus:  "His  strength  now  His  Death 
rapidly  sank.  He  seemed  to  be  aware  that 
death  was  drawing  near.  He  called  for  a  pitcher 
of  water  and,  wetting  his  face,  prayed  thus,  'O 
Lord,  I  beseech  thee  to  assist  me  in  the  agonies 
of  death.'  Then  three  times  he  ejaculated, 
most  earnestly,  'Gabriel,  come  close  to  me!'  .  .  . 
After  a  little  he  prayed  in  a  whisper,  'Lord, 
grant  me  pardon,  and  join  me  to  the  companion- 
ship on  high.'  Then  at  intervals:  'Eternity  in 
Paradise!  Pardon!  Yes,  the  blessed  companion- 
ship  on  high.'     He   stretched  himself  gently. 


i8 


The  Moslem  World 


His  Personal 
Appearance 


His  Character 
a  Problem 


Then  all  was  still.  His  head  grew  heavy  on  the 
breast  of  Ayeshah.  The  prophet  of  Arabia  was 
dead."^ 

Mohammed  is  described  in  tradition  as  a  man 
above  middle  height,  of  spare  figure,  as  are 
nearly  all  the  Arabs,  commanding  presence, 
massive  head,  noble  brow,  jet  black  hair,  and 
a  long  bushy  beard.  His  eyes  were  piercing. 
Decision  marked  his  every  movement,  and  he 
always  walked  rapidly.  This  picture  is  doubt- 
less reliable.  All  writers  seem  to  agree  that  he 
had  the  genius  to  command,  and  expected 
obedience.  James  Freeman  Clarke  says  that  to 
him,  more  than  to  any  other  of  whom  history 
makes  mention,  was  given 

"The  monarch  mind,  the  mystery  of  commanding, 
The  birth-hour  gift,  the  art  Napoleon 

Of  wielding,  molding,  gathering,  welding,  banding 
The  hearts  of  thousands  till  they  moved  as  one." 

The  character  of  Mohammed  is  one  of  the 
great  problems  of  history.  Although  the  sources 
of  our  information  concerning  his  life  and  work 
are  all  Mohammedan,  there  is  the  greatest  di- 
versity of  opinion  among  students  of  history. 
Some  think  that  he  was  in  no  sense  of  the  word 
a  prophet,  while  others  maintain  that  he  was  ''a 
very  prophet  of  God." 


1  Sir  William  Miiir,  Life  of  Mahomet. 


The  Great  Arabian  Prophet  19 

Sir  William  Muir  and  others  think  that  Mo-  Varying: 
hammed  was  at  first  sincere  and  upright,  him-   Regarding  His 
self  believing  in  his  so-called  revelations,  but  character 
that  afterward,  intoxicated  by  success,  he  used 
the  dignity  of  his  prophetship  for  personal  ends, 
and  was  conscious  of  deceiving  the  people  in 
some  of  his  later  revelations.     Koelle  finds  the 
key  to  the  first  period  of  Mohammed's  Hfe  in 
Khadija,  his    first    wife,  who  directed  his  am- 
bitions and  controlled  his  passions  by  her  ma- 
turity and  good  managemxcnt.    After  her  death 
he  revealed  what  he  had  always  been,  and  gave 
vent  to  his  hitherto  restrained  passions. 

Aside  from  the  disputed  question  of  Moham-  How  Test  His 

^  ^  .  -  .  .     Character 

med  s  sincerity,  no  one  can  say  that  nis  moral 
character  reached  a  high  standard.  It  is  pos- 
sible to  measure  the  prophet  by  three  standards, 
of  which  two  at  least  would  seem  to  be  a  fair 
test:  The  law  of  the  pagan  Arabs,  the  law  he 
himself  professed  to  reveal,  and  the  law  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments,  which  he  projessed  to 
approve  and  supersede.  By  the  New  Testament 
law  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  was  the  last  Prophet  be- 
fore Mohammed  and  whom  Mohammed  acknowl-  ^ 
edged  as  the  Word  of  God,  the  Arabian  prophet 
stands  self -condemned.  He  repeatedly  broke 
every  precept  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  not 
only  in  his  private  life,  bjit  in  his  prophetic  office. 
And  the  Koran  itself  proves  that  the  spirit  of 


20 


The  Moslem  World 


Violations  of 
Pagan  Arab 
Cede 


Failure  to 
Observe 
Mohammedan 
Restraint 


Jesus  was  entirely  absent  from  the  mind  of 
Mohammed. 

The  Arabs  among  whom  Mohammed  was 
born  and  grew  to  manhood  also  had  a  law, 
although  they  were  idolaters,  slaveholders,  and 
polygamists.  Even  the  robbers  of  the  desert 
who,  like  Mohammed,  lay  in  wait  for  cara- 
vans, had  a  code  of  honor.  Three  flagrant 
breaches  of  this  code  stain  the  character  of 
Mohammed.  It  was  quite  lawful  to  marry  a 
captive  woman,  whose  relatives  had  been  slain 
in  battle,  but  not  until  three  months  after  their 
death.  Mohammed  waited  only  three  days  in 
the  case  of  the  Jewess,  Safiyah.  It  was  lawful 
to  rob  merchants,  but  not  pilgrims,  on  their 
way  to  Mecca.  Mohammed  broke  this  old  law, 
and  ''revealed  a  verse"  to  justify  his  conduct. 
Among  the  pagan  Arabs  it  was  incest  to  marry 
the  wife  of  an  adopted  son,  even  after  his 
decease.  The  prophet  Mohammed  fell  in  love 
with  the  lawful  wife  of  his  adopted  son,  Zeid, 
prevailed  on  him  to  divorce  her,  and  then  mar- 
ried her  immediately;  for  this  also  he  had  a 
"special  revelation." 

But  Mohammed  was  not  only  guilty  of  break- 
ing the  old  Arab  laws,  and  coming  infinitely 
short  of  the  law  of  Christ;  he  never  kept  the 
laws  of  which  he  claimed  to  be  the  divinely  ap- 
pointed medium  and  custodian.     When  Khadi- 


The  Great  Arabian  Prophet  21 

ja  died  he  found  his  own  law,  lax  as  it  was, 
insufficient  to  restrain  his  lusts.  His  followers 
were  to  be  content  with  four  lawful  v/ives;  ac- 
cording to  tradition,  he  took  to  himself  eleven 
lawful  wives  and  two  slave  girls.  In  all  these 
particulars  Mohammed  was  not  an  ideal  char- 
acter. Yet  his  life  and  character  have  become 
the  ideal  for  miUions  and  the  facts  of  his  hfe 
can  never  be  disputed.  They  rest  on  Moslem 
authority.     We  can  say  with  Johnstone: 

"If  it  be  thought  that  the  judgment  passed  Evidence 
on  the  prophet  of  Arabia  is  harsh,  let  it  be  re-  Moslem^'""" 
membered  that  the  evidence  on  which  it  rests  sources 
comes  all  from  the  lips  and  the  pens  of  his  own 
devoted  adherents.  The  voice  of  foes  or  de- 
tractors of  his  own  time,  or  of  time  immediately 
following,  has  not  yet  reached  the  ears  of  later 
ages.  Everything  that  could  tend  to  his  glory 
was  eagerly  sought  out  and  treasured  up  by 
men  jealous  of  his  good  name;  and  everything 
that  might  seem  to  detract  therefrom  was  care- 
fully suppressed.  His  Hghtest  words  were  sa- 
cred to  them,  his  most  trifling  actions  were  the 
example  they  strove  to  follow.  To  them  he 
was  the  highest  and  most  excellent  of  the  crea- 
tures of  God's  hand — last  and  most  perfect  of 
the  messengers  who  declared  his  will  to  man. 
The  vast  body  of  tradition  which  was  traced 
back  to  the  lips  of  those  who  had  most  closely 


22  The  Moslem  World 

conipanied  with  him  was  jealously  sifted  and 
scrutinized,  though  not  tested  by  the  canons  of 
Western  criticism ;  it  is  on  this  that  our  knowl- 
edge is  founded  and  our  judgment  based.  And 
the  followers  of  the  prophet  can  scarcely  com- 
plain if,  even  on  such  evidence,  the  verdict  of 
history  goes  against  him." 
Idealized  in  Tlic  life  and  character  of  Mohammed  as  por- 

Mohammedan      .  ^    ^         ^  .  ^.       ,     ^  ,  ^  .. 

Tradition  traycd  by  his  earliest  biographers  is,  however, 

not  the  present-day  conception  of  the  prophet. 
In  the  Koran  and  in  the  earliest  sources  Mo- 
hammed is  thoroughly  human  and  liable  to 
error.  Later  tradition  has  changed  all  that, 
made  him  sinless  and  almost  divine.  The  two 
hundred  and  one  titles  of  honor  given  him 
proclaim  his  glory.  He  is  called  Light  of  God, 
Peace  of  the  World,  Glory  of  the  Ages,  First 
of  all  Creatures,  and  names  yet  more  lofty  and 
blasphemous.  He  is  at  once  the  sealer  and 
abrogator  of  all  former  prophets  and  revelations. 
They  have  not  only  been  succeeded,  but  also 
supplanted  by  Mohamxmed.  No  Moslem  prays 
to  him,  but  every  Moslem  daily  prays  for  him 
in  endless  repetition.  He  is  the  only  powerful 
intercessor  on  the  day  of  judgment.  Every  de- 
tail of  his  early  life  is  attributed  to  divine  per- 
mission or  command,  and  so  the  very  faults  of 
his  character  are  his  endless  glory  and  his  sign 
of  superiority.    God  favored  him  above  all  crea- 


Name 


The  Great  Arabian  Prophet  23 

tures.    He  dwells  in  the  highest  heaven,  and  is 
several  degrees  above  Jesus  in  honor  and  station. 

His  name  is  never  uttered  or  written  without  Mohammed* 
the  addition  of  a  prayer.  **Ya  Mohammed"  is 
the  open  sesame  to  every  door  of  difficulty — 
temporal  or  spiritual.  One  hears  that  name 
in  the  bazaar  and  in  the  street,  in  the  mosque 
and  from  the  minaret.  Sailors  sing  it  while 
hois-t-'.ig  their  sails;  hammals  groan  it,  to  raise 
a  '  arden;  the  beggar  howls  it,  to  obtain  alms; 
u  is  the  Bedouin's  cry  in  attacking  a  caravan ;  it 
hushes  babes  to  sleep,  as  a  cradle-song;  it  is  the 
pillow  of  the  sick,  and  the  last  word  of  the  dying; 
it  is  written  on  the  door-posts  and  in  their  hearts 
as  well  as,  since  eternity,  on  the  throne  of  God; 
it  is  to  the  devout  Moslem  the  name  above  every 
name;  grammarians  can  tell  you  how  its  four 
letters  are  representative  of  all  the  sciences  and 
mysteries  by  their  wonderful  combination.  The 
name  of  Mohammed  is  the  best  to  give  a  child, 
and  the  best  to  swear  by,  for  an  end  of  all  dis- 
pute, in  a  close  bargain.  In  some  biographies  of 
Mohammed  we  are  solemnly  told  that  God  crea- 
ted man  in  the  image  of  Mohammed's  name,  as 
written  in  Arabic  on  his  throne :  ^^.^^^  ^  namely, 
M  h  m  d,  and  that  the  four  postures  in  prayer 
are  indicative  of  the  four  characters  in  his  other 
name,  >..,_is,l  both  of  which  naive  theories  seem 
very  plausible  to  the  devout  Moslem  of  to-day. 


24  The  Moslem  World 

His  Power  as  Mohammed  hoids  the  keys  of  heaven  and 
hell.  No  Moslem,  however  bad  his  character, 
will  perish  finally;  no  unbeliever,  however  good 
his  life,  can  be  saved,  except  through  Moham- 
med. Islam  denies  the  need  of  a  mediator  or  of 
the  incarnation,  but  it  is  evident  that,  in  popu- 
lar thought  and  in  Moslem  writings,  Mohammed 
acts  as  a  mediator ,  without  an  incarnation,  with- 
out an  atonement,  without  demand  for  change  of 
character.  For  illustration,  let  this  story  of  the 
Jew  suffice,  although  it  could  be  matched  with 
a  hundred  others  equally  absurd,  yet  equally 
credited : 
story  of  the  "In  the  days  of  the  children  of  Israel  there 

^^^  was  a  sinful  man  who,  for  the  space  of  two  hun- 

dred years,  wearied  every  one  by  the  enormity 
of  his  offenses.  When  he  died  they  threw  his 
corpse  upon  a  dunghill,  but  no  sooner  had  this 
been  done  than  Gabriel,  coming  to  Moses,  said: 
'Thus  saith  the  Almighty  God,  This  day  my 
friend  has  departed  from  this  world,  and  the 
people  have  cast  his  corpse  upon  a  dunghill. 
Now  let  that  corpse  be  dressed  and  prepared 
for  burial  without  delay;  and  ye  shall  speak 
unto  the  children  of  Israel,  that  they  forthwith 
recite  the  burial  service  over  his  bier  if  they 
desire  pardon,*  Then  Moses  marveled  exceed- 
ingly, and  inquired  why  forgiveness  was  re- 
quired,   and    God    answered:    'The    Lord    well 


The  Great  Arabian  Prophet 


25 


knoweth  all  the  sins  which  that  sinner  hath 
during  these  two  hundred  years  committed; 
and,  verily,  he  never  could  have  been  pardoned. 
But,  one  day,  this  wicked  man  was  reading  the 
Torah^  and,  seeing  there  the  name  of  the 
blessed  Mohammed,  he  wept  and  pressed  the 
page  to  his  eyes.  This  honor  and  reverence 
shown  to  my  beloved  was  pleasing  unto  me, 
and  from  the  blessed  effects  of  that  single  act 
I  have  blotted  out  the  sins  of  the  whole  two 
hundred  years.'  Lovers  of  the  blessed  Mo- 
hammed! rejoice  in  your  hearts,  and  be  assured 
that  love  for  the  holy  prophet,  the  Lord  of  crea- 
tion, is,  in  every  possible  condition,  the  means 
of  salvation." 

Alas!  that  the  only  true  commentary  on  these  Moslem  worid 

•'  111  Bears  the 

stories  is  the  awful  gloom  and  darkness  that  Founder's 
still  rest  on  the  sinful  Moslem  world,  and  which  imprint 
neither  the  Koran,  with  all  its  literary  beauty, 
nor  Mohammed  has,  in  any  way,  removed,  but 
rather  increased.  A  stream  cannot  rise  higher 
than  its  source,  and  this  chapter  has  shown  us 
the  chief  source  of  Islam  in  the  Hfe  of  its  founder. 
The  rehgion  which  Mohammed  founded  bears 
everywhere  the  imprint  of  his  life  and  char- 
acter. Mohammed  was  not  only  the  prophet, 
but  the  prophecy  of  Islam.     It  became  what  it 


^  Counsel  or  instruction  proceeding  from  a  sacred  source",  more 
Bpecifically,  the  Mosaic  law  or  the  Pentateuch. 


26  The  Moslem  World 

is  because  of  the  great  warrior-prophet  whose 
character  is  so  far  removed  from  that  of  the 
Prophet  of  Nazareth  and  his  holy  religion. 


SUGGESTIONS   FOR  USING  THE  QUESTIONS 

Most  of  these  questions  are  thought  questions.  That 
is,  they  require  for  their  answers  some  original  think- 
ing. This  form  of  question  has  been  chosen  for  in- 
sertion in  the  text-book  (i)  because  questions  which 
constitute  a  mere  memory  test  of  the  facts  of  the  text 
can  easily  be  constructed  by  any  leader  or  member  who 
makes  an  outline  of  the  principal  facts,  and  (2)  be- 
cause mere  memory  questions,  although  they  have 
their  uses,  yield  far  less  than  thought  questions  either 
in  mental  development  or  in  permanent  impression. 
In  some  cases  complete  answers  will  be  found  in  the 
text-book;  usually  statements  that  will  serve  as  a  basis 
for  inference;  but  a  few  questions  appeal  solely  to  the 
general  knowledge  and  common  sense  of  the  student. 
The  greatest  sources  of  inspiration  and  growth  will  be, 
not  what  the  text-book  adds  to  the  student,  but  what 
the  student  adds  to  the  text-book;  the  former  is  only 
a  means  to  the  latter. 

In  using  these  questions,  therefore,  let  the  leader 
first  gather  from  the  chapter  or  from  previous  chapters 
all  that  relates  to  the  subject.  It  will  be  found  profit- 
able to  jot  down  this  material,  so  that  it  will  be  all 
under  the  eye  at  once;  then  think,  using  freely  all  the 


The  Great  Arabian  Prophet  27 

knowledge,  mental  power,  and  reference  books  avail- 
able. For  the  sake  of  definiteness,  conclusions  should 
be  written  out.  It  is  not  supposed  that  the  average 
leader  will  be  able  to  answer  all  these  questions  satis- 
factorily ;  otherwise,  there  would  be  little  left  for  the 
class  session.  The  main  purpose  of  the  session  is  to 
compare  imperfect  results  and  arrive  at  greater  com- 
pleteness by  comparison  and  discussion. 

It  is  not  supposed  that  the  entire  list  of  questions 
will  be  used  in  any  one  case,  especially  when  the  ses- 
sions last  only  an  hour.  The  length  of  the  session,  the 
maturity  of  the  class,  and  the  taste  of  the  leader  will  all 
influence  the  selection  that  will  be  made.  In  many 
cases  the  greatest  value  of  these  questions  will  be  to 
suggest  others  that  will  be  better. 

There  has  been  no  attempt  to  follow  the  order  of 
paragraphs  in  the  text-book  in  more  than  a  general 
way. 


QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  I 

Aim  :    To    Estimate   the    Personal    Foundation   on 
Which  Islam  Is  Based 

1.  Has  any   other   religion  ever  had  the   spread 
in  its  first  century  that  Islam  had? 

2.  Mention   all   the  reasons  you   can  to   account 
for  this  unique  phenomenon. 

3.  If  the  state  of  the  times  accounts  for  it,  why 
did  not  other  great  religions  spring  up  then? 


28  The  Moslem  World 

4.  If  the  easy-going  character  of  Islam  accounts 
for  it,  why  did  not  Arabian  paganism  spread? 

5.  Has  any  other  religion  ever  been  spread  by 
the  sword  alone? 

6.  Do  you  think  that  the  sword  alone  can  account 
for  the  success  of  Islam? 

7.  Why  did  conversion  follow  the  conquests  of 
the  Moslems,  but  not  those  of  the  Mongols? 

8.  Which  elements  most  help  a  religion  to  spread, 
those  that  are  true  or  those  that  are  false? 

9.  Arrange  what  seem  to  you  the  three  most 
important  causes  for  the  spread  of  Islam,  in 
the  order  of  their  importance. 

10.  What  conclusions  do  you  think  you  are  justi- 
fied in  drawing  as  to  the  real  character  of 
Mohammed  from  the  description  of  Ad 
Damiri? 

11.  Where  do  you  think  Ad  Damiri  got  the  ideals 
for  this  description? 

12.  What  was  there  in  Arabian  paganism  to  make 
Mecca  a  likely  place  for  a  new  religious 
movement? 

13.  What  was  there  in  Mecca  to  make  it  an  un- 
likely place? 

14.  Try  to  imagine  the  effect  Judaism  would  have 
on  a  thoughtful  Arabian  pagan, 

15.  Try  to  imagine  the  effect  that  even  a  debased 
Christianity  might  have. 

16.  What  has  Islam,  in  common  with  the  two  lat- 
ter faiths,  that  is  opposed  to  paganism? 


The  Great  Arabian  Prophet  29 

17.  Arrange  the  four  factors  mentioned  in  the 
text  as  contributing  to  Mohammed's  success 
in  the  order  of  their  importance. 

18.  How  many  of  these  advantages  did  he  share 
with  his  fellow  citizens? 

19.  In  view  of  these  factors,  how  do  you  account 
for  his  comparative  failure  at  Mecca? 

20.  How  do  you  think  Mohammed  compared  with 
the  mass  of  mankind  in  being  a  product  of  his 
surroundings? 

21.  Do  you  think  that  Mohammed  was  sincere  in 
believing  that  he  had  a  revelation  from  God? 

22.  What  motive  do  you  think  he  had  in  attacking 
idol  worship? 

23.  Sum  up  the  strong  and  good  points  in  the 
character  of  Mohammed. 

24.  Sum  up  the  weak  and  evil  points. 

25.  How  do  you  account  for  this  contrast? 

26.  What  things  did  Mohammed  do  that  you  could 
not  imagine  Jesus  Christ  doing? 

27.  Name  several  things  in  the  teaching  and  ex- 
ample of  Christ  that  condemn  Mohammed. 

28.  What  is  your  estimate  of  the  character  of 
Mohammed  as  a  whole? 

29.  Name  the  principal  results  upon  a  religion  of 
having  such  a  man  as  its  founder. 

30.  In  what  ways  are  these  results  made  better  or 
worse  by  the  growth  of  tradition? 

31.  What  Idea  would  you  have  of  the  God  who 
made  Mohammed  his  best  beloved? 


3©  The  Moslem  World 

REFERENCES  FOR  ADVANCED  STUDY 
-CHAPTER  r 
Mohammed's  Life  and  Character. 

Ameer,  AH:  The  Life  and  Teachings  of  Mohammed, 
I. 

Written  by  an  Indian  Moslem,   Judge  of  the   High  Court 
in  Bengal.     A  clever,  but  unreliable,  apology. 

Arnold:  Islam  and  Christianity,  II. 

The  author  is  strongly  inclined  to  be  an  apologist  for  the 
prophet. 

Hughes :  A  Dictionary  of  Islam,  367-399. 

An  article  that  represents  Mohammed  quite  fairly. 

Johnstone :  Muhammad  and  His  Power,  V. 

One  of  the  least  biased  discussions. 

Koelle:  Mohammed  and  Mohammedanism,  I,  II. 

The  author  is  inclined  to  emphasize  the  evil  in  the  life  of 
the  prophet. 

Muir:  Life  of  Mohamet. 

Probably  the  best  authority  in  the  English  language. 

Smith:  Mohammed  and  Mohammedanism,  II. 

A  strong  apology  for  the  prophet  and  written  in  an  attrac- 
tive style. 

Smith:  The  Bible  and  Islam,  I. 

Is  inclined  to  favor  Mohammed,  but  on  the  whole  is  fair. 


*  The  questions  and  references  were  not  prepared  by  the  author. 


THE    SPREAD    OF    HIS 
RELIGION 


3« 


In  proportion  as  the  lot  of  the  conquered  peoples 
became  harder  to  bear,  the  more  irresistible  was  the 
temptation  to  free  themselves  from  their  miseries,  by 
the  words:  "There  is  no  God  but  God;  and  Mohammed 
is  the  prophet  of  God."  When  the  state  was  in  need 
of  money — as  was  increasingly  the  case — the  subject 
races  were  more  and  more  burdened  with  taxes,  so 
that  the  condition  of  the  non-Moslems  was  constantly 
growing  more  unendurable,  and  conversions  to  Islam 
increased  in  the  same  proportion.  Further  causes  that 
contributed  to  the  decrease  of  the  Christian  population 
may  be  found  in  the  fact  that  the  children  of  the  nu- 
merous Christian  captive  women  who  were  carried  off 
to  the  harems  of  the  Moslems  had  to  be  brought  up  in 
the  religion  of  their  fathers ;  and  in  the  frequent  temp- 
tation that  was  offered  to  the  Christian  slave  by  an  in- 
dulgent master,  of  purchasing  his  freedom  at  the  price 
of  conversion  to  Islam.  But  of  any  organized  attempt 
to  force  the  acceptance  of  Islam  on  the  non-Moslem 
population,  or  of  any  systematic  persecution  intended 
to  stamp  out  the  Christian  religion,  we  hear  nothing. 

— r.  W.  Arnold 

And  yet  it  is  certain  that  Islam  made  inroads  upon 
Hinduism  and  added  many  converts  to  the  Moslem 
faith.  Several  reasons  may  be  adduced  to  account  for 
these  conversions.  First  among  these  reasons  was  the 
superiority  of  the  Moslem  religion,  being  a  pure  monothe- 
ism in  contrast  with  the  gross  idolatry  of  the  Hindu  and 
the  fetishism  of  the  outcaste.  Another  reason  lies  in 
the  social  system  of  Islam,  which  accords  a  recognition 
of  equality  in  the  brotherhood  which  Hinduism  re- 
fused to  its  votaries.  It  was  a  deliverer  to  the  down- 
cast Malaich  or  low-caste  population,  and  many  then, 
as  they  now  do,  readily  embraced  the  opportunity  of 
escape  by  accepting  the  faith  of  Islam.  ...  In 
every  case  such  voluntary  acceptance  of  the  faith 
meant  admission  into  the  rights  and  privileges  enjoyed 
by  every  member  of  the  Mohammedan  brotherhood. 

— E.  M.  Wherry 


32 


II 

THE  SPREAD  OF  HIS  RELIGION 

The  great  religions  of  the  world  may  be  di-  isiama 

.      .  Missionary 

vided  into  two  classes — the  non-missionary  and  Religion 
the  missionary.  Judaism,  Zoroastrianism,  and 
Hinduism,  for  example,  are  non-missionary  and 
do  not  require  their  faith  to  be  propagated  by 
each  believer,  while  Buddhism,  Christianity,  and 
Islam  are  missionary  and  do.  Islam  was  such 
from  its  very  origin.  One  hundred  years  after 
Mohammed's  death  his  followers  were  masters 
of  an  empire  greater  than  Rome  at  the  zenith 
of  her  power.  They  were  building  m^osques  in 
China,  in  Spain,  in  Persia,  and  in  southern 
India !  The  extent,  the  rapidity,  and  the  method 
of  the  early  Moslem  conquest  are  a  marvelous 
illustration  of  their  fanatic  zeal. 

Only  thirteen  centuries  have  passed,  and  to-  Marvelous 
day  there  are  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
million  Mohammedans — one  seventh  of  the 
population  of  the  globe !  Fifty  millions  in  Africa, 
sixty-two  millions  in  India,  thirty  millions  in 
China,  twenty-nine  millions  in  the  Malay  Archi- 
pelago, and   one    quarter   of   a   million   in   the 

33 


Expansion 


34 


The  Moslem  World 


Philippines,  not  to  speak  of  the  lands  that  are 
almost  wholly  Mohammedan  in  western  Asia. 
What  fires  of  faith  and  devotion  must  have 
burned  in  the  hearts  of  the  early  champions  of 
Islam,  to  mxake  them  gird  on  the  sword  and 
fight  and  die  for  the  new  religion! 


Extent  of  Caliphate 
Empire,  9  07  AD.  m^ 


Extent  of  Ottoman 
Rule,  1907A.D.  — 


Impetuous 
Zeal 


It  swept  across  Syria  and  all  north  Africa 
like  the  desert  simoom — swift,  fierce,  impetuous, 
irresistible,  destructive — only  to  be  curbed  and 


spread  of  His  Religion  35 

cooled  by  the  waves  of  the  Atlantic.  History- 
tells  of  Akba,  one  of  their  leaders,  that  he  rode 
his  horse  far  out  into  the  surf,  and  cried:  "Great 
God!  if  I  v/ere  not  stopped  by  this  raging  sea, 
I  would  go  on  to  the  nations  of  the  West, 
preaching  the  unity  of  thy  name  and  putting 
to  the  sword  those  who  would  not  submit." 
Tarik,  finding  no  lands  to  the  west,  crossed 
over  the  straits  into  Spain,  and  named  its 
promontory  Jebel  Tarik  (the  mountain  of 
Tarik),  Gibraltar — an  everlasting  monmnent 
to  his  missionary  zeal. 

The  spread  of  Islam  may  be  chronologically  Three  Periods 
divided  into  three  periods,  and  the  dates  when  °  o°q"est 
Islam  entered  the  lands  where  it  is  now  pre- 
dominant fall  into  three  groups.  The  firtjt 
period  is  from  the  death  of  Mohammed,  632 
to  800;  a  later  period,  under  the  Ottomans 
and  Moguls,  1280  to  1480;  and  lastly  the 
modem  spread  of  Islam,  from  1780  onward. 

During  the  first  period,  the  days  of  the  early  Results  under 
caliphs,  fire  and  sword  carried  Islam  triumphant  caUphs  ^ 
throughout  all  Arabia,  Syria,  Persia,  Egypt, 
north  Africa,  and,  by  more  peaceful  means, 
as  far  as  Canton  and  western  China.  All  these 
regions  had  received  the  faith,  and  it  had  be- 
come deeply  rooted  before  the  year  1000, 
while  Christianity  was  put  under  tribute  and 
oppression,  as  in  Asia  Minor  and  Egypt,  or  en- 


36 


The  Moslem  World 


Play  of 

Worldly 

Motives 


Ottoman  and 
Mogul  Era 


Modern 
Missionary 
Efforts  of 
Islam 


tirely  swept  away,  as  in  Arabia  itself,  by  the 
tornado  power  of  the  new  religion  in  its  political 
conquest. 

That  worldly  motives  played  a  considerable 
part  in  the  early  conversion  of  these  lands  can- 
not be  doubted,  and  is  admitted  even  by  Mos- 
lem historians.  When,  for  example,  the  Arabs 
of  the  pathless  desert,  who  fed  on  "locusts  and 
wild  honey,"  once  tasted  the  delicacies  of  civi- 
lization in  Syria  and  reveled  in  its  luxurious 
palaces  they  said:  **By  Allah,  even  if  we  cared 
not  to  fight  for  the  cause  of  God,  yet  we  could 
not  but  wish  to  contend  for  and  enjoy  these, 
leaving  distress  and  hunger  henceforth  to 
others." 

The  second  chapter  of  Moslem  conquest  began 
with  the  rise  of  the  Ottoman  Turks  and  the 
Moguls  of  India.  During  this  period,  Afghanis- 
tan, Turkestan,  India,  Java,  and  the  Malay 
Archipelago,  with  Servia  and  Bosnia  in  Europe, 
were  more  or  less  "converted"  to  Islam. 

Lastl}^  we  can  chronicle  the  modern  mission- 
ary efforts  of  Islam  by  the  Dervish  orders  in 
Africa,  the  Oman  Arabs  in  their  slave-raids, 
the  disciples  of  the  Cairo  University,  or  by  re- 
turning Meccan  pilgrims.  Their  work  has  been 
chiefly  in  Africa,  but  also  in  Russia,  the  Malay 
Archipelago,  the  Philippines,  and  even  among 
the  Finns  of  the  Volga. 


i        \ 


n 


MOSQUE  OF  MOHAMMED  ALl,  CAIRO.EGYPT 


n 


spread  of  His  Religion  37 

Within  the  narrow  Hmits  of  this  chapter  the  spread  of  the 
story  of  the  spread  of  the  Moslem  faith  can  be   outline 
told  only  in  brief  outline    following  the  great 
geographical  areas  now  under  its  sway. 

Before  he  fell  sick  Mohammed  had  given  Arabia  an 
orders  for  an  expedition  to  the  Syrian  border.  ^  '^ 
The  great  commission  of  the  apostle  of  Islam 
was  *'to  slay  the  polytheists  wherever  ye  find 
them" — and  no  sooner  was  Abu  Bekr  pro- 
claimed caliph  than  the  faithful  hastened  to 
fulfil  the  command.  The  army  of  invasion 
which  was  to  carry  the  Moslem  standard  into 
Syria  was  ordered  to  advance.  The  Moslem 
historians  leave  no  doubt  of  the  purpose  of 
their  errand,  and  of  how  they  executed  it. 
They  say:  "With  the  well-known  cry  of  Ya 
Mansur  Umit! — Strike,  O  ye  conquerors! — 
they  slew  all  who  opposed  them,  and  carried 
off  the  remainder  into  captivity.  They  burned 
the  villages,  the  fields  of  standing  com,  and  the 
groves  of  palm,  and  behind  them  there  went  up, 
as  it  were,  a  whirlwind  of  fire  and  smoke." 
Abu  Bekr,  in  his  address  to  the  people,  em- 
phasized the  fact,  as  well  he  might,  that  the 
very  existence  of  the  new  religion  now  de- 
pended on  aggressive  warfare.  *'When  a  peo- 
ple leaveth  off  to  fight  in  the  ways  of  the 
Lord,"  said  he,  "the  Lord  also  casteth  off  that 
people." 


38  The  Moslem  World 

Defection  but         Islam  had  so  little  real  grip  on  the  Arabs 

Final  Winning  -, , 

of  Arab  Tribes  themselves  that,  on  Mohammed  s  death,  the 
Bedouin  tribes,  with  one  accord,  fell  away  from 
Islam  and  all  the  prophet's  work  in  Arabia  had 
to  be  done  over  again.  Medina  and  Mecca  alone 
remained  true  to  their  faith.  One  writer  states 
that  the  Arab  tribes  started  aside,  like  a  broken 
bow,  and  were  only  brought  back  gradually  to 
hold  fast  to  Islam  by  one  inducement  or  an- 
other: "by  kindly  treatment,  persuasion,  and 
craft;  by  fear  and  the  terror  of  the  sword;  by 
the  prospect  of  power  and  wealth;  and  by  the 
lusts  and  pleasures  of  this  life." 
Political  Sway  Moliammcd  himself  had  so  completely  con- 
Religious  fused  the  functions  of  prophet  and  politician. 

Conversion  warrior  and  preacher,  that  it  is  not  surprising 
his  successors  knew  no  distinction  between  the 
word  of  Allah  and  tlie  sword  of  Allah  in  the 
propagating  of  their  faith.  Yet  the  most  re- 
markable fact  in  the  spread  of  Islam  is  that 
political  sway  was  not  altogether  synonymous 
with  religious  conversion.  When  Islam  tri- 
umphed in  Asia  Minor,  Christianity  was  domi- 
nant among  the  peoples  speaking  Greek,  Ar- 
menian, and  Syriac,  and  these  peoples,  after 
twelve  centuries  of  contact  and  conflict  with 
Islam,  are  still  Christian.  The  spread  of  Islam 
was  not  wholly  a  triumph.  The  victory  more 
than   once   remained   to   the   vanquished,    and 


Spread  of  His  Religion  39 

Islam  often  failed  to  win  allegiance  where  it 
won  subjection. 

The  spread  of  Islam  in  Africa  began  in  638  conquests  in 
A.  D.  and  still  continues.  There  were  three 
periods  in  the  conflict  for  Africa.  In  the  first, 
638-1050  A.  D.,  the  Arabs,  by  rapid  military- 
conquest,  overran  the  Mediterranean  coast  from 
Egypt  to  Morocco.  During  the  second  period, 
from  1050-17 50,  Morocco,  the  Sahara  region, 
and  the  western  Sudan  became  Moslem,  and 
the  desire  for  conquest  was,  no  doubt,  pro- 
voked, in  part,  as  a  reaction  against  the  Chris- 
tian crusades.  The  third  period,  1 750-1900, 
was  that  of  the  revival  of  Islam  and  its  spread 
through  the  Mahdi  movement  and  the  Dervish 
orders. 

In  their  later  efforts   to   spread   Islam   the  T^iree  Lines 

ofModern 

Arabs  entered  Africa  from  three  different  sides.  African 
These  three  streams  of  Moslem  immigration  and  invasion 
conquest  were  as  follows:  From  Egypt  they 
went  westward  as  far  as  Lake  Chad;  from  the 
northwest  of  Africa  they  came  down  to  Lake 
Chad  and  the  Niger  region;  and  from  Zanzibar 
the  slave-dealers  opened  the  way  for  Islam  as 
far  as  the  Great  Lakes. 

The  latest  and  strono^est  Moslem  missionarv  '^^^  senusi 

..  r-irA  -1  1      Movement 

force  m  Africa  is  that  of  the  Senusi  brotherhood, 
the  Jesuits  of  Islam.  Of  their  rise,  power,  and 
progress  Noble  gives  the  following  summary: 


40 


The  Moslem  World 


Its  Founder 


"  In  1843  Senusi,  an  Algerian  sheik,  driven 
from  Mecca  on  account  of  his  pure  life  and 
principles,  took  refuge  temporarily  on  the 
Bare  an  coast.  After  founding  military  mon- 
asteries here,  his  order  having  arisen  in  1837, 
he  withdrew  (1855)  to  Jarabub.  .  .  .  Although 
within  the  western  boundary  of  Egypt,  and 
only  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the 
Mediterranean,  it  lies  on  a  borderland  of  the 
Libyan  plateau,  where  no  Egyptian  khedive, 
no  Turkish  sultan,  exercises  authority.  Here 
is  the  true  head  of  modem  Islam's  hostile  move- 
ment against  the  giaour  or  infidel.  It  became 
such  partly  through  its  almost  central  position 
for  African  propaganda  and  through  remote- 
ness from  European  interference. 

"The  sheik  is  the  undisputed  head  of  the 
sect,  blindly  obeyed  by  the  monastic  orders  of 
the  Moslem  world.  The  brethren  are  all  in  his 
hands  as  the  corpse  in  those  of  the  undertaker. 
The  Senusi  brotherhood  is  the  Jesuit  order  of 
Islam.  The  monks  regard  the  Senusi  sheik 
as  the  well-guided  one,  the  true  Mahdi  to  re- 
store the  Moslem  power.  Outwardly  the 
Senusiya  profess  to  aspire  to  no  political  aim. 
Their  ideal  goal  consists  in  the  federation  of  the 
orthodox  religious  orders  into  one  theocratic 
body,  independent  of  secular  authority.  They 
discountenance  violence.    To  Mohammedans  in 


Spread  of  His  Religion  41 

districts  under  Christian  sway  they  recommend 
not  revolt,  but  withdrawal  to  Senusi  convents. 
None  the  less,  despite  this  ostensible  condem- 
nation of  political  agitation,  the  Senusiya  aim 
at  absolute  independence.  Their  houses,  at 
once  church  and  school,  arsenal  and  hospital, 
are  found  in  the  Libyan  oases,  Fezzan,  Tripoli, 
and  Algeria,  in  Senegambia,  the  Sudan,  and 
Somalia." 

Islam  entered  Europe  very  early,  but  it  has  Europe 
never  sv/ept  as  victoriously  over  this  continent 
as  it  did  in  Asia  and  in  Africa.  In  648  the  Arabs 
crossed  into  Spain ;  in  711  they  established  their 
rule,  and  they  and  their  descendants  remained 
there  for  eight  centuries  until,  in  1502,  an  edict 
of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  forbade  the  exercise 
of  the  Mohammedan  religion.  Constantinople 
was  fruitlessly  besieged  in  668  and  again  in  716. 
Sixteen  years  later  the  battle  of  Tours  set  a 
limit  to  the  Saracen  conquests  in  western 
Europe. 

At  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  century  Islam  Limitations 

in  the  Modern 

again  attempted  the  conquest  of  Europe  under  European 
the  Ottoman  Turks.  And  in  1453  the  fall  of  ^'''^'^ 
Constantinople  sealed  the  doom  of  the  Eastern 
Empire.  Seventy-six  years  later  the  unsuccess- 
ful siege  of  Vienna  formed  the  high-water  mark 
of  Moslem  conquest  in  that  direction.  From 
that  day  until  now  Turkish  rule  and  the  Moslem 


42  The  Moslem  World 

faith  have  lost  power  in  Europe.  At  present, 
while  there  are  one  hundred  and  seventy  mil- 
lion Moslems  in  Asia  and  fifty  millions  in 
Africa,  there  are  only  five  millions  in  Europe. 
Perhaps  there  is  a  physical  reason  for  the  limit 
of  Moslem  conquest  toward  the  north.  In  the 
lands  of  ice  and  snow  and  shortened  nights  and 
days,  the  prayer-ritual  is  well-nigh  impossible, 
and  the  fast  becomes  a  crushing  yoke.  Gibbon 
tells  us  that  the  Tartars  of  Azof  and  Astrakhan 
used  to  object  to  the  prayer-ritual,  because  it 
was  impossible  in  their  latitude,  and  tried, 
therefore,  to  dissuade  the  Turks  from  attempt- 
ing further  conquest  in  that  direction. 

Persia  The  entrance  of  Islam  into  Persia  began  with 

the  Saracen  invasion  and  was  completed  during 
the  caliphate  of  Omar.  The  conquest  of  Persia 
was  of  the  greatest  significance  for  the  future  of 
Islam.  Here  for  many  centuries  Mohammedan 
literature  had  its  greatest  impulse  and  glory, 
while  the  Aryan  mind  contributed  to  the  Semitic 
faith  poetry,  philosophy,  and  science.  But  Per- 
sia also  became  the  mother  of  heresies  and 
schisms,  and  so  was  a  source  of  weakness  to 
Islam. 

Central  Asia  From  Persia  Islam  spread  to  Central  Asia. 

We  read  that  Bokhara  was  conquered  and  "con- 
verted" three  times,  only  to  revolt  and  relapse 
until  the  strongest  measures  were  taken  to  es- 


spread  of  His  Religion  43 

tablish  the  new  religion.  Every  Bokharist, 
Vambery  tells  us,  had  to  share  his  dwelling  with 
a  Moslem  Arab,  and  those  who  pra^^ed  and 
fasted,  like  good  Moslems,  were  rewarded  with 
money.  Finally  the  city  was  wholly  given  over 
to  the  Arabs,  and  a  little  later,  Samarcand  ex- 
perienced the  same  fate.  From  Bokhara  as  a 
center,  Islam  spread  gradually  by  coercion  or 
persuasion,  by  preaching  or  by  the  sword,  in 
all  directions  throughout  Afghanistan,  Turkes- 
tan, and  Chinese  Tartary  for  a  period  of  two 
htmdred  years.  When  Marco  Polo,  the  great 
traveler,  crossed  these  countries  (i 271-1294)  he 
found  Islam  nearly  everywhere  dominant. 

At  present  all  of  Persia  and  Central  Asia,  as  Present 
w^ell  as  a  large  part  of  Asiatic  Russia,  is  Moham-  These  Fields 
medan.  In  the  Trans-Caucasus  between  the 
Black  and  Caspian  seas  are  three  million  Tar- 
tars. In  Turkestan,  Bokhara,  Khiva,  and  Rus- 
sian Turkestan  together  are  about  six  millions. 
The  capital  city  of  Bokhara,  which  is  a  state 
vassal  to  Russia,  is  a  stronghold  at  present  for 
the  spiritual  power  of  Islam  in  Central  Asia. 

Ch-'na  affords  a  striking  example  of  a  China 
peaceful  propaganda  by  Moslem  preachers  and 
merchants  in  distinction  from  the  usual  method 
of  the  military  crusade.  For  centuries  preced- 
ing Islam,  there  had  been  commercial  inter- 
course by  sea  between  Arabia  and  China,  and 


44 


The  Moslem  World 


Early  Moslem 
Settlers  and 
Present 
Numbers 


when  the  Arab  merchants,  the  Sinbads  of  his- 
tory, became  Moslems,  it  was  only  natural  that 
they  carried  their  religion  with  them  on  their 
long  voyages  for  silk,  spices,  and  gold.  We  read 
that  Mohammed  utilized  these  early  trade- 
routes  by  sending  his  maternal  uncle  with  a 
letter  and  suitable  presents  to  the  Emperor  of 
China,  asking  him  to  accept  the  new  religion. 
Arriving  at  Canton  the  next  year,  he  went  to 
the  capital  and  preached  Islam  for  two  years. 
His  preaching,  which  is  mentioned  in  an  in- 
scription on  the  mosque  at  Canton,  produced 
considerable  and  permanent  results,  for  there 
are  over  eight  hundred  Moslem  families  in  Can- 
ton to-day. 

The  first  body  of  Arab  settlers  in  China  was  a 
contingent  of  four  thousand  soldiers  dispatched 
by  the  Caliph  Abu  Jaafer,  about  755,  to  assist 
the  Chinese  Emperor.  These  soldiers,  in  re- 
ward for  their  services  and  bravery,  were  al- 
lowed to  settle  in  China,  where,  by  intermarriage 
and  X-^i'saching,  they  won  over  many  to  the 
faith.  Regarding  the  present  growth  of  Islam 
in  China  and  the  total  number  of  Moslems  in 
the  empire,  there  is  great  disagreement.  The 
Statesman's  Year-Book,  one  of  the  best  au- 
thorities on  statistics,  says  that  China  has  thirty 
million  Mohammedans,  while  an  Indian  writer 
estimates  it  at  fifty  millions;  and  a  prominent 


spread  of  His  Religion  45 

Moslem  officer  in  Yun-nan  province  states  that 
there  are  now  seventy  million  Moslems  in 
China. 

In  India,  Islam  has  won  a  larger  field  and  a  i°dia 
greater  number  of  adherents  than  in  any  other 
part  of  the  world.  India  to-day  has  a  larger 
Moslem  population  than  that  of  Persia,  Arabia, 
the  Turkish  Empire,  and  Egypt  combined. 
The  spread  of  Islam  in  India  began  with  the 
sword,  and  there  is  little  doubt  that  the  condi- 
tion of  the  country  was  favorable  to  the  Saracen 
invaders.  Nor  were  the  Arabs  slow  to  learn  the 
facts.  As  early  as  712  the  Caliph  Walid  sent 
an  army  to  avenge  an  outrage  on  an  Arab  ves- 
sel. Kasim,  the  Arab  general,  offered  the  Raj- 
puts the  alternative — Islam  or  tribute — and, 
having  defeated  them,  he  forcibly  circumcised  a 
number  of  Brahmans.  This  having  failed  to 
convert  the  people,  he  slew  all  males  over  seven- 
teen years  old  and  enslaved  the  rest.  Al  Hajaj, 
the  governor  of  Chaldea,  sent  an  expedition  to 
Sind.  Two  fierce  battles  were  fought  by  the 
army  on  its  way  up  the  Indus,  and  J^Iultan  sur- 
rendered after  a  long  siege.  So  cruel  were  the 
conquerors  that  the  Hindu  king's  sister  called 
the  women  together  and,  "refusing  to  owe  their 
lives  to  the  vile  'cow-eaters'  at  the  price  of  dis- 
honor, they  set  their  houses  ablaze  and  perished 
in  the  flames." 


46 


The  Moslem  World 


Foothold  in 
Sind 


Delhi  the 
Later  Center 


The  Mogul 
Golden  Age 


South  India, 
and  Summary 


The  conquest  of  Sind  by  the  Arabs  was  only 
a  beginning  for  the  later  conquest  of  India  by 
the  Moslems.  In  Sind  they  gained  a  foothold 
and  learned  of  the  fabulous  wealth  in  the  hands 
of  the  unbelievers.  Moreover,  these  converted 
Hindus  were  allies  of  the  army  of  conquest  in 
the  tenth  century,  when  Turks  and  Afghans 
poured  into  India  from  the  northwest. 

The  Sultan  of  Ghazni,  surnamed  "the  Idol- 
breaker,"  was  the  Napoleon  of  Islam  who,  after 
a  score  of  invasions,  established  its  power  in  the 
north,  demolishing  temples ^  slaughtering  in- 
fidels, and  obtaining  incredible  quantities  of 
loot.  Delhi  became  the  capital  of  the  new 
kingdom,  and  was  enlarged  and  strengthened 
by  his  successors  in  the  latter  part  of  the  twelfth 
and  the  beginning  of  the  thirteenth  centur}^ 

But  it  was  during  the  period  of  15 25-1 707 
that  Islam  made  its  largest  conquests,  its  most 
brilliant  advances,  and  the  greatest  numerical 
increase.  Akbar  and  his  successors  encouraged 
literature  and  the  fine  arts.  To  them  we  owe 
those  monuments  in  stone  and  marble,  of  which 
Moslems  m.ay  well  be  proud  and  which  still  lend 
so  much  luster  to  Mohammedan  rule  in  India. 

Islam  was  introduced  into  southern  India  by 
the  conquest  of  Moslems  from  the  north  and  by 
immigration  on  the  southeast  coast.  Accord- 
ing to  the  census  of  1901  there  are  over  twenty- 


spread  of  His  Religion  47 

five  million  Moslems  in  Bengal,  over  twelve  mil- 
lions in  the  Punjab,  and  in  all  north  India 
about  forty-five  millions.  The  remaining  seven- 
teen millions  belong  to  the  Deccan,  and  central, 
western,  and  southern  India,  making  a  total  of 
62,458,077. 

A  glance  at  the  map  of  the  Moslem  World*  The  Malay 

•11      1  1  1  .  r  Archipelago 

Will  show  that  the  nearest  point  m  the  Malay 
Archipelago  to  the  Arab  trader  is  the  northern 
coast  of  Sumatra.  Here,  therefore,  Islam  be- 
gan its  conquest  in  1345.  Next,  it  entered 
Java.  A  certain  Arab,  who  styled  himself  an 
apostle,  began  to  preach  and  win  converts. 
He  built  the  first  mosque  in  Java.  After  the 
conversion  of  the  chief,  proselytes  became  more 
numerous,  force  was  used  to  extend  the  Moslem 
state,  the  capital  fell  into  their  hands,  and  Islam 
was  practically  triumphant  by  1478.  Nine 
apostles  or  missionaries  were  sent  out  to  con- 
vert the  rest  of  the  people. 

Before  the  end  of  that  century  the  King  of  a  Movement 
Ternate,  in  the  Moluccas,  was  converted,  "and 
Islam  was  spread  in  the  Spice  Islands  by  Jav- 
anese traders  who  came  there  for  the  double 
purpose  of  procuring  cloves  and  imparting 
Islam." 

In  1803  some  Sumatra  pilgrims  returned  from  Sumatra 
Mecca  to  proclaim  a  holy  war  against  all  infidels 

1  See  map  at  the  end  of  the  book. 


48 


The  Moslem  World 


Christianity's 

Earlier 

Opportunity 


among  whom  they  counted  first  the  heathen 
Batta  tribes  and  afterward  the  Dutch  rulers. 
A  seventeen-year  war  followed,  and  the  Dutch 
government  took  the  last  stronghold  of  the 
zealots,  but  their  propaganda  did  not  cease 
with  defeat  on  the  field  of  battle.  Even 
to-day  the  struggle  is  on  between  Christian 
missions  and  Islam  for  the  conquest  of  the  re- 
maining heathen  tribes  in  Java  and  Sumatra. 
The  missionaries  write  (1906)  that  their  chief 
task  now  is  "to  bring  into  the  Church  the  mass 
of  pagans  as  yet  untouched  by  Islam  and,  while 
there  is  yet  time,  to  send  workers  to  regions  which 
are  in  danger  of  being  brought  over  to  Moham- 
medanism.'*'^ So  we  see  that  the  spread  of  Islam 
is  not  past  history,  but  a  present  peril  in  the 
Malay  Archipelago  as  well  as  in  western  Africa. 
Of  the  more  than  three  million  inhabitants  of 
Sumatra  nearly  all  are  Moslems,  while  in  Java 
alone  Islam  has  twenty-four  million  adherents. 
Had  the  Christian  Church  entered  upon  the 
struggle  for  these  island  possessions  earlier,  who 
can  tell  what  the  result  might  have  been  for  the 
kingdom  of  Christ?  The  spread  of  Islam  in 
three  continents  for  well-nigh  twelve  centuries 
was  due  to  the  power  of  the  sword  omd  to  the 
low  moral  standards  of  the  new  faith y^  but  was 


'  Simon,  in  The  Mohammedan  World  of  To-day,  233. 
'  Haines,  Islam,  as  a  Missionary  Religion,  Chap.  VI. 


spread  of  His  Religion  49 

doubtless  greatly  facilitated  also  by  the  lack  of 
missionary  zeal  in  the  Churches  of  Christendom. 
Beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  Oriental  Churches 
Islam  advanced  in  her  world-conquest  unchal- 
lenged.    There  were  no  missions  to  Islam. 

The  history  of  the  spread  of  Islam  is  not  islam  our 
without  significance  for  us  to-day.  In  spite  ^^^^  ® 
of  cruelty,  bloodshed,  dissension,  and  deceit, 
the  story  of  the  Moslem  conquest  is  full  of 
heroism.  If  so  much  was  done  in  the  name 
and  after  the  example  of  Mohammed,  what 
should  we  not  do  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ? 
These  men  of  the  desert  carried  everything  be- 
fore them,  because  they  had  the  backbone  of 
conviction,  knew  no  compromise,  and  were 
thirsting  for  world-conquest.  Not  Khaled  alone, 
but  every  Moslem  warrior  felt  himself  to  be  the 
"Sword  of  God." 

Nor  did  they  shrink  from  hardship,  danger,  Disregarding 
or  death  itself,  in  this  holy  war  for  their  faith. 
Had  not  Mohammed  said:  'The  fire  of  hell 
shall  not  touch  the  legs  of  him  who  is  covered 
with  the  dust  of  battle  in  the  road  of  God"? 
And  was  not  Paradise  itself  under  the  shadow 
of  the  spears  of  the  thickest  fight  ? 

To  the  modern  Christian  world,  missions  imply  ^^^^  °f  ^^lam 
organization,    societies,    paid   agents,    subscrip- 
tions,    reports,     and     much     other    elaborate 
machinery.     All  this  is  practically  absent  from 


so  The  Moslem  World 

the  present  Moslem  idea  of  propagation,  and 
yet  the  spread  of  Islam  goes  on.  With  loss  of 
political  power,  the  zeal  of  Islam  seems  to  in- 
crease, for  Egypt  and  India  are  more  active  in 
propagating  the  faith  than  is  Turkey  or 
Morocco. 
The  Activity  of  In  Burma  (where  Indian  merchants  are  the 
Laymen"^  *"  Moslcm  missionarics)  the  Moslem  population  in- 
creased ^^  per  cent,  in  the  past  decade.  In  the 
western  Sudan  and  on  the  Niger  whole  districts 
once  pagan  are  now  Mohammedan,  and  this 
has  been,  to  a  large  extent,  the  work  of  lay 
missionaries — ^merchants,  travelers,  and  artisans. 
It  would  be  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  every 
Moslem  is  a  missionary,  but  it  is  true  that  the 
missionaries  of  Islam  are  the  laymen  in  every 
walk  of  life,  rather  than  its  priesthood.  For 
example,  a  pearl  merchant  at  Bahrein,  east 
Arabia,  recently,  at  his  own  expense  and  on  his 
own  initiative,  printed  an  entire  edition  of  a 
Koran  commentary  for  free  distribution.  On 
the  streets  of  Lahore  and  Calcutta  you  may 
see  clerks,  traders,  bookbinders,  and  even 
coolies,  who  spend  part  of  their  leisure  time 
preaching  Islam  or  attacking  Christianity  by 
argument. 

The  merchants  who  go  to  Mecca  as  pilgrims 
from  Java  return  to  do  missionary  work  among 
the  hill-tribes.     In  the  Sudan  the   Hausa  mer- 


The  Two 
Swords 


Spread  of  His  Religion  51 

chants  carry  the  Koran  and  the  catechism  wher- 
ever they  carry  their  merchandise.  No  sooner 
do  they  open  a  wayside  shop  in  some  pagan 
district  than  the  wayside  mosque  is  built  by  its 
side.  And  is  it  not  a  remarkable  proof  of  the 
earnestness  even  of  the  Arab  slave -dealers,  that, 
in  spite  of  the  horrors  of  the  traffic,  the  very 
slave-routes  became  highways  for  Islam,  and 
the  negroes  adopted  the  religion  of  Mohammed 
to  escape  the  very  curse  which  brought  it  to 
them  ? 

The  laity  in  Islam  are,  in  one  sense,  all  preach-  Propagandism. 
ers.  The  shop-keeper  and  the  camel-driver  are 
ashamed  neither  of  their  proud  creed  nor  of 
their  prophet  and  his  book.  They  proclaim  the 
creed  from  the  housetop,  they  never  utter  Mo- 
hammed's name  without  a  prayer,  and  they 
carry  the  Koran  everywhere,  although  80  per 
cent,  of  the  Moslem  world  is  illiterate.  If  they 
cannot  read  it  they  can,  at  least,  kiss  it  or  wear 
it  as  an  amulet !  All  ranks  of  society  are  propa- 
gandists. By  such  incessant,  spontaneous,  and 
almost  fanatic  parading,  preaching,  pushing  of 
their  faith  by  the  mass  of  beHevers,  and  not 
solely  by  the  power  of  the  sword,  Islam  grew  to 
its  gigantic  proportions.  And  if  they  used  the 
sword,  so  also  can  we.  ''The  word  of  God  is 
.  .  .  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword,  and 
piercing  even  to  the  dividing  of  soul  and  spirit, 


Our 
Advantage 


52  The  Moslem  World 

of  both  joints  and  marrow,  and  quick  to  dis- 
cern the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart." ^ 
That  blade  we  can  all  wield.  It  is  a  better 
sword  than  theirs,  and  slays  to  give  life  eternal. 
If  they  did  so  much  with  theirs,  surely  we 
Over  Islam  Can  do  more  with  ours.  We  have  a  better  mes- 
sage, a  more  glorious  faith,  a  higher  motive,  a 
richer  reward,  a  more  certain  victory,  a  nobler 
inspiration,  a  better  comradeship,  and  a  Leader 
before  whose  great  white  throne  and  great  white 
life  the  mock  majesty  and  the  whitewashed 
immorality  of  Mohammed  shrink  in  abject  ter- 
ror. They  did  it  for  Mohammed.  Shall  we  not 
do  it  for  our  Savior  in  the  spread  of  Chris- 
tianity ? 


QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  II 

Aim  :   To  Estimate  the  Lessons  of  the   Spread  of 
Islam 

1.  Compare  the  spread  of  the  three  great  mis- 
sionary religions  with  that  of  those  which  are 
not  missionary. 

2.  At  the  expense  of  which  religions  did  Islam 


*Heb.  iv.  I  a. 


spread  of  His  Religion  53 

spread,    of    the    missionary    or    of    the    non- 
missionary? 

3.  Was  the  Christianity  which  Islam  displaced 
missionary   or  non-missionary? 

4.  Name    what   you   consider   the   higher   motives 

that  impelled  the  first  spread  of  Islam. 

5.  Name  the  lower  motives. 

6.  What  were  the  advantages  to  Islam,  for  mis- 
sionary purposes,  of  the  close  union  of  Church 
and  State? 

7.  What  were  the  principal  disadvantages? 

8.  What  would  be  the  advantages  and  disadvan- 
tages to  us  of  such  a  union  to-day? 

9.  What  was  the  relation  between  Moslem  belief 
and  political  status? 

10.  What  political  advantages  did  a  man  derive 
from  becoming  a  Moslem? 

11.  What  social  advantages  did  he  derive? 

12.  If  you  were  a  low-caste  Hindu  to-day,  what 
would  constitute  the  relative  social  attractions 
for  you  of  Christianity  and  Islam? 

13.  How  would  the  social  gulf  between  you  and 
the  Christian  missonary  compare  with  that  be- 
tween you  and  the  Moslem? 

14.  Sum  up  the  principal  motives  that  induced 
those  under  Moslem  rule  to  profess  Islam. 

15.  Sum  up  the  principal  motives  that  induced 
those  not  under  Moslem  rule  to  become 
Moslems. 


54  The  Moslem  World 

i6.  What  are  the  principal  advantages  and  disad- 
vantages of  appealing  to  such  motives? 

17.  Does  v^hat  you  know  of  the  spread  of  Islam 
seem  to  you  to  support  your  views  on  this 
last  point? 

18.  Why  do  you  think  India  and  Egypt  are  more 
active  propagating  centers  of  Islam  than  is 
Turkey  or  Morocco? 

19.  Why  did  Islam  succeed  against  paganism? 

20.  Why  did  it  succeed  against  Hinduism? 

21.  Why  did  it  succeed  as  it  did  against  Eastern 
Christianity? 

2,2.  Sum  up  the  principal  positive  lessons  to  us  of 
the  spread  of  Islam. 

2Z.     Sum  up  the  principal  negative  lessons. 

24.  What  conclusions  would  you  draw  from  Chris- 
tian missions  to  Moslems? 


REFERENCES  FOR  ADVANCED  STUDY 
CHAPTER  II 

The  Spread  of  Islam. 

Arnold:  Islam  and  Christianity,  VI. 

Haines:  Islam  as  a  Missionary  Religion. 

Oilman:    Saracens,  XVI-XXI. 

Hunter :  Brief  History  of  the  Indian  Peoples,  IX,  X. 

Johnston:  The  Colonization  of  Africa,  13-26. 

Johnstone:  Muhammad  and  His  Power,  XII. 


spread  of  His  Religion  55 

Lilly:  India  and  Its  Problems,  IX. 
Noble:  The  Redemption  of  Africa,  III. 
Wherry:  Islam  and  Christianity  in  the  Far  East,  II, 
III. 


WHAT  THE  MOSLEMS  BELIEVE 
AND  PRACTISE 


S7 


Allah  is  but  a  negation  of  other  gods ;  there  is  no 
store  of  positive  riches  in  his  character ;  he  does  not 
sympathize  with  the  manifold  growth  of  human  ac- 
tivity; the  inspiration  he  affords  is  a  negative  inspira- 
tion, an  impulse  of  hostility  to  what  is  over  against 
him,  not  an  impulse  to  strive  after  high  and  fair 
ideals.  He  remains  eternally  apart  upon  a  frosty 
throne;  his  voice  is  heard,  but  he  cannot  condescend. 
He  does  not  enter  into  humanity,  and  therefore  he 
cannot  render  to  humanity  the  highest  services. 

— Allan  Menzies 

The  author  of  an  elementary  work  on  Islam,  which 
is  widely  read  and  much  esteemed  in  Turkey,  names  as 
the  attributes  of  God — life,  knowledge,  power,  will, 
hearing,  seeing,  and  speech.  "  If  all  the  infidels  became 
believers,  he  would  gain  no  advantage;  if  all  believers 
became  infidels,  he  would  suffer  no  loss."  "  He  wills 
the  unbelief  of  the  unbeliever  and  the  irreligion  of 
the  wicked." 

— Edward  Sell 

The  natural  result  of  giving  to  ritual  this  unique 
position  as  the  first  obligation  of  man  is  to  leave  him 
free  in  his  quest  for  self -gratification.  Let  it  not  be 
supposed  that  there  is  no  recognition  of  sin  in  Islam. 
It  is  everywhere  denounced.  But  it  is  everywhere 
treated  as  calling  for  retribution,  not  reform.  Re- 
pentance is  simply  regret  for  the  punishment  of  sin. 
And  when  the  Mohammedan  sinner  has  suffered  in 
hell  for  penalty  appropriate  to  his  case,  he  is  fit  for 
admission  to  blessedness  in  God's  eternal  favor  with- 
out change  of  character. 

— Henry  Otis  Dwight 


58 


Ill 


WHAT   THE   MOSLEMS   BELIEVE    AND 
PRACTISE 

All  Moslems  describe  their  religion  tinder  two  Two  Divisions, 
divisions,  called  Iman  and  Din.  The  first  con-  Deed 
cerns  their  articles  of  faith,  or  what  an  orthodox 
follower  of  the  prophet  must  believe.  The 
second  refers  to  the  outward  practise  of  religion, 
including  the  ritual  and  other  requirements  of 
Moslem  piety. 

The  relation  of  creed  to  character  is,  however,   creed  and 
not  merely  a  formal  one,  but  vital  and  organic       ^^^'^  ^^ 
in  all  religion.     Because  Moslems  believe  as  they 
do,  therefore  their  religious  duties,  privileges, 
and  practises  are  what  they  are. 

It  is  incumbent  on  all  believers  to  have  a  six  Main 
firm  faith  in  six  articles:  God,  his  Angels,  his 
Books,  his  Prophets,  the  Day  of  Judgment,  and 
Predestination  of  Good  and  Evil. 

Moslems  are  monotheists  and  beheve  in  God's   Moslem  idea 

.  of  God 

unity,  omnipotence,  and  mercy.  There  is  no 
god  but  Allah"  is  the  first  clause  in  the  Moslem 
creed.  The  Koran  and  other  Moslem  books 
show  that  Mohammed  had  a  measurably  cor- 

59 


6o 


The  Moslem  World 


Monotheism 
Contrasted 
with  Bible 
View 


Doctrine 
Regarding 
Spiritual 
Beings 


Angels 


rect  idea  of  some  of  the  attributes  of  God,  but 
an  absolutely  false  conception  of  others.  The 
conception  of  God  is  too  negative.  Absolute 
sovereignty  and  ruthless  omnipotence  are  his 
chief  attributes,  while  his  character  is  imper- 
sonal. The  Christian  truth,  that  "God  is  love, "is 
to  the  learned  Moslem  blasphemy  and  to  the 
ignorant  an  enigma. 

The  monotheism  of  Mohammed  must  be 
distinguished  from  that  of  the  Bible.  James 
Freeman  Clarke  calls  it  the  "worst  form  of 
monotheism,"  and  sums  up  the  distinction 
thus:  "Islam  saw  God,  but  not  man;  saw 
the  claims  of  deity,  but  not  the  rights  of 
humanity;  saw  authority,  but  failed  to  see 
freedom^ — therefore  hardened  into  despotism, 
stiffened  into  formalism,  and  sank  into  death. 
.  .  .  Mohammed  teaches  a  God  above  us; 
Moses  teaches  a  God  above  us,  and  yet  with  us, 
Jesus  Christ  teaches  God  above  us,  God  with  us, 
and  God  in  us."^ 

The  Moslems  assert  their  belief  in  three  species 
of  spiritual  beings  —  angels,  jinn,  and  devils. 
This  belief  is  not  theoretical,  but  is  intensely 
practical,  and  touches  every-day  life  at  many 
points. 

Angels  are  very  numerous,  were  created  out 
of  light,  and  are  endowed  with  life,  speech,  and 


>  Ten  Great  Religions,  Vol.  II,  68, 


What  Moslems  Believe  and  Practise       6i 

reason.  Of  the  four  archangels,  Gabriel  reveals 
truth,  Michael  is  the  patron  of  the  Jews,  Israfil 
will  sound  the  last  trump,  and  Israil  is  the  angel 
of  death.  There  are  two  recording  angels  for 
each  person,  who  write  down  his  good  and  his  ill. 
Therefore  Mohammed  enjoined  his  people  not 
to  spit  in  front,  nor  on  the  right,  but  on  the  left, 
as  on  that  side  stands  the  recording  angel  of  evil. 
Munkar  and  Nakir  are  two  black  angels,  with 
blue  eyes,  who  interrogate  men  after  burial  in 
the  grave,  and  mete  out  terrible  blows  to  those 
whose  replies  prove  them  not  Moslems.  There- 
fore, at  a  funeral,  parting  instructions  are  given 
the  deceased  in  the  grave.  The  Koran  seems 
to  teach  that  angels  intercede  for  men. 

Jinn,  or  genii,  are  either  good  or  evil.  They  Ji°n  or  Genii 
were  created  from  fire,  and  are  of  diverse  shapes. 
The  Koran  and  orthodox  Moslem  theology  are 
full  of  teaching  about  their  origin,  office,  power, 
and  destiny.  One  can  read  all  about  it,  how- 
ever, in  the  Arabian  Nights,  and  get  an  idea 
of  the  effect  of  this  belief  on  life  and  morals. 
No  pious  Moslem  to-day  doubts  that  they  exist, 
nor  that  Solomon  sealed  some  of  them  up  in 
brass  bottles!  In  Arabia,  Persia,  and  Morocco 
they  tell  stories  of  every-day  Moslem  life  and 
encounters  with  jinn  that  rival  the  tales  of 
Scheherezade  to  the  King.  The  chief  abode  of 
jinn  is  in  the  mountains  which  encompass  the 


62  The  Moslem  World 

world;  they  also  frequent  baths,  wells,  ruined 
houses,  and  similar  places.  For  fear  of  jinn 
millions  of  the  ignorant  in  Moslem  lands  are, 
all  their  lifetime,  subject  to  bondage.  This 
article  of  their  creed  is  the  mother  of  a  thousand 
foolish  and  degrading  superstitions,  yet  it  can 
never  be  abandoned  without  doing  violence  to 
the  Koran.  For  example,  suras  46  and  72 
of  the  Koran  tell  how  the  jinn  listened  to 
Mohammed's  preaching  and  were  converted  to 
Islam.  At  the  head  of  the  evil  jinn  is  the  devil 
(Sheitan,  or  Iblis),  who  was  expelled  from  Eden 
for  refusal  to  prostrate  before  Adam  when  God 
commanded  it.  His  demonic  host  is  numerous 
and  terrible.  Noteworthy  among  them  are 
Harut  and  Marut,  two  evil  spirits  which  teach 
men  sorcery  at  Babylon. 
Books  of  Moslems  beheve  that  God  "sent  down"  one 

God 

hundred  and  four  sacred  books.  Adam  received 
ten  books;  Seth,  fifty;  Enoch,  thirty;  and  Abra- 
ham, ten;  all  of  these  are  utterly  lost.  The  four 
books  that  remain  are  the  Law  which  came  to 
Moses,  the  Psalms  which  David  received,  the 
Gospel  of  Jesus,  and  the  Koran.  The  Koran 
is  uncreated  and  eternal;  to  deny  this  is  rank 
heresy.  And  while  the  three  other  books  are 
highly  spoken  of  in  the  Koran,  they  now  exist, 
Moslems  say,  only  in  a  corrupted  form,  and  their 
precepts  have  been  abrogated  by  the  final  book 


What  Moslems  Believe  and  Practise       6$ 

to  the  last  prophet,  Mohammed.  This  is  the 
belief  of  all  orthodox  Moslems.  Thousands  of 
Mohammedans  now,  however,  say  the  Bible  is 
not  corrupted,  and  read  it  willingly  and  gladly. 

This  book  is  considered  by  Moslems  the  great  "^^^  '^^''^'^ 
standing  miracle  of  their  prophet,  and  it  is  no 
doubt  a  remarkable  production.  It  is  a  little 
smaller  than  the  New  Testament  in  bulk,  and 
has  one  hundred  and  fourteen  chapters,  bearing 
fanciful  titles  borrowed  from  some  word  or 
phrase  in  the  chapter,  such  as  the  Cow,  the  Bee, 
Women,  Spoils,  the  Ant,  the  Spider,  Smoke, 
the  Pen,  and  others  equally  curious.  The  book 
has  no  chronological  order,  and  its  jumbled 
verses  throw  together,  piecemeal,  fact  and  fancy, 
laws  and  legends,  prayers  and  imprecations.  It 
is  unintelligible  without  a  commentary,  even 
for  a  Moslem.  Moslems  regard  it  as  supreme  in 
beauty  of  style  and  language,  and  miraculous 
in  its  origin,  contents,  and  authority.  Its 
musical  jingle  and  cadence  are  charming,  and, 
at  times,  highly  poetical  ideas  are  clothed  in 
sublime  language.  The  first  chapter  and  the 
so-called  verse  of  the  "Throne"  are  strildng 
examples : 

THE    OPENING  CHAPTER 

"In  the  name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  Merciful. 
Praise  be  to  God,  Lord  of  the  worlds! 
The  Compassionate,  the  Merciful! 
King  of  the  Day  of  Judgment! 


64 


The  Moslem  World 


Laws  and 
Stories  of  the 
Koran 


Its  Errors 
and  Short- 
comings 


Thee  do  we  worship,  and  to  thee  do  we  cry  for  help! 
Guide  thou  us  in  the  right  path! 
The  path  of  those  to  whom  thou  art  gracious! 
Not  of  those  with  whom  thou    art   angered,  nor   of 
those  who  go  astray." 

THE    VERSE    OF    THE    THRONE 

"God!  there  is  no  God  but  he;  the  Hving,  the  Eternal. 

Slumber  doth  not  overtake  him,  neither  sleep. 

To  him  belongeth  whatsoever  is  in  heaven  and  on 
the  earth. 

Who  shall  intercede  with  him  except  by  his  permis- 
sion ?  He  knows  what  is  between  their  hands  and 
behind  them; 

And  they  can  not  encompass  aught  of  his  knowledge 
except  as  he  please.  His  throne  is  as  wide  as 
the  heavens  and  the  earth. 

The  preservation  of  both  is  no  weariness  unto  him. 

He  is  the  high,  the  mighty." 

The  great  bulk  of  the  Koran  consists  of  cere- 
monial laws  and  stories.  The  stories  of  the 
Koran  go  back  to  Adam  and  the  patriarchs, 
take  in  several  unknown  Arabian  prophets  or 
leaders,  tell  of  Jesus  Christ,  Moses,  and  Solo- 
mon, but  do  not  venture  beyond  Jewish  terri- 
tory, except  to  mention  Alexander  the  Great 
and  Lokman,  who  is  identified  with  ^sop! 

The  Koran  has  many  historical  errors ;  it  con- 
tains monstrous  fables;  it  teaches  a  false  cos- 
mogony ;  it  is  full  of  superstitions ;  it  perpetuates 
slavery,  polygamy,  divorce,  religious  intolerance, 
the  seclusion  and  degradation  of  women,  and  it 


What  Moslems  Believe  and  Practise       65 

petrifies  social  life.    Nor  has  this  Bible  of  Islam 
any  doctrine  of  sacrifice  for  sin  or  its  atonement. 

Mohammed  is  related  to  have  said  that  there  Prophets  and 
were  124,000  prophets  and  315  apostles.  Six 
of  the  latter  are  designated  by  special  titles, 
and  are  the  major  prophets  of  Islam.  They 
are  as  follows:  Adam  is  the  chosen  of  God; 
Noah,  the  preacher  of  God;  Abraham,  the  friend 
of  God;  Moses,  the  spokesm.an  of  God;  Jesus, 
the  word  of  God;  and  Mohammed,  the  apostle 
of  God.  Moslems  say  that  the}^  make  no  dis- 
tinction between  the  prophets,  but  love  and 
reverence  them  all.  Mohammed,  however,  su- 
persedes all  and  supplants  all  in  the  hearts  and 
lives  of  his  followers.  Their  devotion  to  him  is 
intense  and  sincere. 

A  Christian  studying  the  faith  of  Islam  soon  Belief con- 
learns  not  only  that  Christ  has  no  place  in  the  jelul^chrisu 
Moslem  idea  of  God,  as  they  deny  the  Trinity, 
but  that  the  portrait  of  our  Savior,  as  given  in 
the  Koran  and  in  tradition,  is  a  sad  caricature. 
According  to  Moslem  teaching,  Jesus  was  mirac- 
ulously born  of  the  Virgin  Mary ;  he  spoke  while 
still  a  babe  in  the  cradle;  performed  many 
puerile  miracles  in  his  youth;  healed  the  sick 
and  raised  the  dead  when  he  reached  manhood. 
He  was  specially  commissioned  to  confirm  the 
Law  and  reveal  the  Gospel.  He  was  strength- 
ened by  the  Holy  Spirit  (Gabriel).    He  foretold 


66  The  Moslem  World 

another  prophet,  whose  name  should  be  Ahmed 
(Mohammed).  They  believe  that  Jesus  was,  by- 
deception  and  substitution,  saved  from  cruci- 
fixion and  taken  to  heaven,  and  that  he  is  now 
in  one  of  the  inferior  stages  of  celestial  bliss; 
that  he  will  come  again  at  the  last  day,  slay 
antichrist,  kill  all  the  swine,  break  the  cross, 
and  remove  the  poll-tax  from  infidels.  He  will 
reign  as  a  just  King  for  forty-five  years,  marry 
and  leave  children,  then  die  and  be  buried  near 
Mohammed  at  Medina.  The  place  of  his  future 
grave  is  already  marked  out  between  the  graves 
of  Omar,  the  Caliph,  and  Fatima,  Mohammed's 
daughter. 
Dayofjudff.  'pj^g  i^^^  iudgment  has  a  lars^e  place  in  the 

mentandFu-  ^  .     .       -r^  ^r  i-  i 

ture  Paradise  crecd  and  the  Koran.  Most  graphic  and  terrible 
descriptions  portray  the  terrors  of  that  day. 
Moslems  believe  in  a  literal  resurrection  of  the 
body  and  in  an  everlasting  life  of  physical 
joys,  or  physical  tortures.  The  Moslem  para- 
dise, in  the  words  of  the  Koran,  is  **a  gar- 
den of  delight,  .  .  .  with  couches  and 
ewers,  and  a  cup  of  flowing  wine;  their  brows 
ache  not  from  it,  nor  fails  the  sense;  theirs 
shall  be  the  Houris,  .  .  .  ever  virgins." 
What  commentators  say  on  these  texts  is 
often  unfit  for  translation.  The  orthodox  in- 
terpretation is  literal,  and  so  was  that  of  Mo- 
hammed, because  the  traditions  give    minute 


What  Moslems  Believe  and  Practise       67 

particulars  of  the  sanitary  laws  of  heaven,  as 
well  as  of  its  sexual  dehghts. 

The  Moslem  hell  is  sevenfold,  and  "each  portal  The  Moslem 
has  its  party."  It  is  terribly  hot,  its  fuel  is 
men  and  stones,  its  drink  liquid  pus,  the  clothes 
of  the  inhabitants  burning  pitch,  while  serpents 
and  scorpions  sting  their  victims.  Connected 
with  the  Day  of  Judgment  are  the  signs  of  its 
approach,  namely,  the  coming  of  the  antichrist, 
the  return  of  Jesus  as  a  Moslem  prince,  the  rising 
of  the  sun  in  the  west,  the  war  of  Gog  and  Magog, 
and  similar  events. 

This  last  article  is  the  keystone  in  the  arch  of  Predestination 
Moslem  faith.  It  is  the  only  philosophy  of  Is- 
lam, and  the  most  fertile  article  of  the  creed  in 
its  effects  on  every-day  life.  God  wills  both 
good  and  evil;  there  is  no  escaping  from  the 
caprice  of  his  decree.  Religion  is  Islam,  that  is, 
resignation.  Fatalism  has  paralyzed  progress. 
Hope  perishes  under  the  weight  of  this  iron 
bondage ;  injustice  and  social  decay  are  stoically 
accepted;  no  man  bears  the  burden  of  another. 
Omar  Khayyam  voices  the  sentiment  of  mil- 
lions when  he  writes: 

"  Tis  all  a  checker-board  of  nights  and  days 
Where  Destiny  with  men  for  pieces  plays. 
Hither  and  thither  moves  and  mates  and  slays. 
And  one  by  one  back  in  the  closet  lays." 

To  the  Moslem,  God's  will  is  certain,  arbitrary,  inevitable 


68 


The  Moslem  World 


Fatalism 

Preventing 

Progress 


Religion  of 
Good  Works 


irresistible,  and  inevitable  before  any  event 
transpires.  To  the  Christian,  God's  will  is  secret 
until  he  reveals  it ;  when  he  does  we  feel  the  im- 
perative of  duty.  Were  a  Moslem  to  pray  to 
Allah,  "Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in 
heaven,"  he  would  be  guilty  of  folly,  if  not  of 
blasphemy.  An  archangel  and  a  murderer,  a 
devil  and  a  gnat  equally  execute  the  will  and 
purpose  of  Allah  every  moment  of  their  exist- 
ence. As  he  wills,  and  because  he  wills,  they, 
are  what  they  are,  and  continue  what  they  are. 

No  wonder  that  this  article  of  the  Moslem 
faith  has  left  no  place  for  progress  in  the  lands 
under  Mohammedan  rule.  For,  as  Canon  Sell 
says:  *lt  is  this  dark  fatalism  which,  whatever 
the  Koran  may  teach  on  the  subject,  is  the  rul- 
ing principle  in  all  Moslem  countries.  It  is  this 
which  makes  all  Mohammedan  nations  decay." 

While  every  one  who  confesses  the  faith  of 
Islam  is  a  Moslem  or  true  behever,  yet  it  is  in- 
cum.bent  on  all  who  beheve  to  show  their  faith 
by  outward  observance  of  the  five  religious 
duties  of  Islam.  These  five  duties  m.erit  reward 
and  are  called  *'tt^  pillars,"  or  foundation,  of 
religion.  Their  pious  observance  is  the  mark 
of  a  true  Moslem;  to  break  loose  from  any  one 
of  them  is  to  be  in  peril  of  damnation.  The 
first  of  the  five  pillars  of  religion,  according  to 
the  Koran  and  Tradition,  is  Confession. 


What  Moslems  Believe  and  Practise       69 

Mohammedanism  has  the  shortest  creed  in  Confession  of 
the  world,  and  it  has  been  oftener  repeated,  and  *^^  ^"^'^ 
has  perhaps  had  more  power  over  those  that 
uttered  it  than  any  other.  The  creed  is  so  brief 
that  it  has  needed  no  revision  for  thirteen  cen- 
turies. It  is  taught  to  infants,  and  whispered 
in  the  ears  of  the  dying.  Five  times  a  day  it 
rings  out  in  the  call  to  prayer  in  the  whole  Mos- 
lem world:  ^'La-ilaka-illa-llahu;  Muhammadu- 
Rasulu- alldhJ'  "There  is  no  god  but  God; 
Mohammed  is  the  apostle  of  God."  On  every 
occasion  this  creed  is  repeated  by  the  believer. 
It  is  the  key  to  every  door  of  difficulty.  It  is 
the  watchword  of  Islam.  These  words  they  in- 
scribe on  their  banners  and  on  their  door-posts. 
They  appear  on  all  the  early  coins  of  the  caliphs. 
This  creed  of  seven  Arabic  words  rings  out  in 
every  Moslem  village  from  the  Philippines  to 
Morocco.  One  hears  it  in  the  bazaar  and  the 
street  and  the  mosque;  it  is  a  battle-cry  and  a 
cradle-song,  an  exclamation  of  delight  and  a 
funeral  dirge. 

Surely  this  diligent,  constant,  almost  fanatic  Effects 
use  of  their  short  creed  as  a  public  confession 
has  been  not  only  a  strength  to  Islam,  but  one 
of  the  chief  factors  in  its  rapid  spread.  The 
very  impetuosity  and  frequency  of  its  repetition 
has  often  persuaded  ignorant  men  of  its  truth 
by  the  impetus  of  its  proclamation. 


70  The  Moslem  World 

Prayer  The  fact  that  Moslems  pray  often,  early,  and 

earnestly  has  elicited  the  admiration  of  many 
travelers,  who,  ignorant  of  the  real  character 
and  content  of  Moslem  prayer,  judge  it  from  a 
Christian  standpoint.  What  the  Bible  calls 
prayer  and  what  the  Moslem  calls  by  the  same 
name  are,  however,  to  a  degree,  distinct  con- 
ceptions. The  devotions  of  Islam  are  essen- 
tially vain  repetitions,  for  they  must  be  said  in 
the  Arabic  language  by  all  Moslems,  whether  in 
Canton  or  Calcutta,  in  Sokoto  or  Singapore. 
Three  fourths  of  the  Mohammedan  world  pray 
five  times  daily  in  an  unknown  tongue.  Yet 
their  prayers  are  persistent  and  often  sincere. 
Mohammed  used  to  call  prayer  "the  pillar  of 
of  religion"  and  "the  key  of  paradise." 
Facing  /pj^g  f^^^^  requirement  of  correct  prayer  is  that 

Mecca  it  be  in  the  right  direction,  that  is,  toward  the 

Kaaba  at  Mecca.  Because  of  this,  private 
houses,  as  v/ell  as  mosques,  all  over  the  Moham- 
medan world,  are  built  accordingly,  and  not  on 
meridian  lines.  It  is  often  pathetic  to  hear  a 
wayfarer  or  a  Moslem  who  travels  on  an  ocean 
steamer  ask  which  is  the  proper  direction  to  turn 
at  the  hour  of  prayer.  To  pray  with  one's  back 
to  Mecca  would  be  unpardonable.  Many  Mos- 
lems carry  a  pocket-compass  on  their  journeys 
to  avoid  all  possible  errors  of  this  charac- 
ter. 


What  M'oslems  Believe  and  Practise       71 

Another  necessary  prehminary  to  every  Mos-  Ablution  or 
lem  prayer  is  legal  purification.     Whole  books  Beforr*^°" 
have  been  written  on  this  subject,  describing  Prayer 
the   occasions,   method,   variety   and  effect   of 
ablution  by  water,  or,  in  its  absence,  by  sand. 
In  Mohammedan  works  of  theology  there  are 
chapters  on  the  proper  way  of  washing,  on  the 
use  of  the  toothbrush,  on  the  different  kinds 
of  water  allowed  for  ablution,  and  on  all  the 
varieties  of  un cleanness. 

The  five  proper  times  for  prayer  are  at  dawn,  ^'"^^^  ^°^ 
just  after  high  noon,  two  hours  before  sunset, 
at  sunset,  and  again  two  hours  after.  It  is  for- 
bidden to  say  morning  prayers  after  the  sun  is 
risen,  and  the  believer  must  face  Mecca  while 
standing  and  kneeling  to  pray. 

The  words  repeated  during  this  exercise  con-  wcrcisUsed 
sist  of  Koran  phrases  and  short  chapters,  which 
include  praise,  confession,  and  a  prayer  for 
guidance.  Often  the  chapters  chosen  have  no 
connection  with  the  topic  of  prayer.  Personal 
private  petitions  are  allowed  after  the  liturgical 
prayers,  but  they  are  not  common.  The  least 
departure  from  the  rule  in  purification,  posture, 
or  method  of  prayer  nullifies  its  effect,  and  the 
worshiper  must  begin  over  again.  Special  prayer 
is  obligatory  at  an  eclipse  of  the  sun  or  moon  and 
on  the  two  Moslem  festivals.  It  has  been  cal- 
culated that  a  pious  Moslem  repeats  the  same 


72 


The  Moslem  World 


form  of  prayer  at  least  seventy-five  times  a 
day! 
Call  to  Prayer  xhe  Call  to  prayer  heard  from  minarets  five 
times  daily  in  all  Moslem  lands  is  as  follows: 
The  muezzin  cries  it  in  a  loud  voice  and  always 
in  the  Arabic  language:  "God  is  most  great! 
God  is  most  great !  God  is  most  great !  God  is 
most  great!  I  testify  that  there  is  no  god  but 
God!  I  testify  that  there  is  no  god  but  God! 
I  testify  that  Mohammed  is  the  apostle  of  God ! 
I  testify  that  Mohammed  is  the  apostle  of  God ! 
Come  to  prayer!  Come  to  prayer!  Come  to 
prosperity!  Come  to  prosperity!  God  is  most 
great !  God  is  most  great !  There  is  no  god  but 
God!"  In  the  call  to  early  morning  prayer  the 
words  "prayer  is  better  than  sleep"  are  added 
twice  after  the  call  to  prosperity. 

The  month  of  fasting  was  probably  borrowed 
by  Mohammed  from  the  Christian  Lent.  There 
are  many  traditions  that  tell  how  important 
fasting  is.  Let  one  suffice:  "Every  good  act 
that  a  man  does  shall  receive  from  ten  to  seven 
hundred  rewards,  but  the  rewards  of  fasting 
are  beyond  bounds,  for  fasting  is  for  God  alone 
and  he  will  give  its  rewards."  The  chief  Moslem 
fast  is  that  of  the  month  of  Ramazan.^  The 
fast  is  extremely  hard  upon  the  laboring  classes 

1  This  is  the  ninth  month  of  the  Moslem  year,  but  because  they 
have  a  lunar  calendar  it  can  occur  at  any  season.  At  present  Rama- 
zan  corresponds  to  January,  and  the  days  are  short. 


Month  of 
Fasting 


THt"  KAAHA 
THE  KA.ABA.Of^  BEIT  ALLAH.  iS  THE  PRAYER- CEIVTER  OF  THE 
MOHAMMEDAN  WORLD  AND  THE  OBJECTIVE  POINT  OF  THOUSANDS 
OF  PILORIMS  EVERY  YEAR.  ACCORDING  TO  MOSLEM  WRITERS  IT  WAS 
FIRST  CONSTRUCTED  IN  HEAVEN  2,000  YEARS  BEFORF  THE  CREATION 
OF  THE  WORLD.  ADAM.THE  FIRST  MAN.BUILT  THE  HAABA ON  FARTH 
EXACTLY  UMDER  THE  SPOT  OCCUPIED  BY  ITS  PERFECT  MODEL  IN  HEAVEN  ^ 


What  Moslems  Believe  and  Practise       73 

when,  by  the  changes  of  the  lunar  calendar,  it 
falls  in  the  heat  of  summer,  when  the  days  are 
long.  Even  then  it  is  forbidden  to  drink  a 
drop  of  water  or  take  a  morsel  of  food.  Yet 
it  is  a  fact  that  Mohammedans,  rich  and  poor, 
spend  more  on  food  in  that  month  than  in  any 
other  month  of  the  year ;  and  it  is  also  true  that 
physicians  have  a  run  of  patients  with  troubles 
from  indigestion  at  the  close  of  this  religious 
fast!  The  explanation  is  simple.  Although  the 
fast  extends  over  one  lunar  month,  it  only 
begins  at  dawn  and  ends  at  sunset  each  day. 
During  the  whole  night  it  is  usual  to  indulge  in 
pleasure,  feasting,  and  dinner  parties.  This 
makes  clear  what  Mohammed  meant  when  he 
said  that  "God  would  make  the  fast  an  ease  and 
not  a  difficulty." 

The  hours  during  which  fasting  is  prescribed  Extent  of 
are  to  be  sacredly  observed.  Not  only  is  there 
total  abstinence  from  food  and  drink,  but  bath- 
ing, smoking,  taking  snuff,  smelling  a  flower, 
and  the  use  of  medicine  are  prohibited.  I  have 
even  heard  Moslem  jurists  discuss  whether  hypo- 
dermic medication  was  allowed  during  the  fast 
period.  In  eastern  Arabia  the  use  of  an  eye- 
lotion  even  is  considered  as  equivalent  to  break- 
ing the  fast.  The  law  provides,  however,  that 
infants,  idiots,  the  sick,  and  the  aged  are  ex- 
empted from  observing  this  fast. 


74 


The  Moslem  World 


Legal  Alms 


Hospitality 


The  Annual 
Pilgrimage 


Zakat  or  legal  alms  were  in  the  early  days  of 
Islam  collected  by  the  religious  tax-gatherer, 
as  they  are  still  in  some  Mohammedan  countries. 
Where  Moslems  are  under  Christian  rule,  how- 
ever, the  rate  is  paid  out  by  each  Mohammedan 
according  to  his  own  conscience.  The  rate 
varies  greatly,  and  the  different  sects  disagree 
as  to  what  was  the  practise  of  the  prophet. 
Moreover,  it  is  difficult  to  find  a  precedent  in 
the  customs  of  pastoral  Arabia  for  the  present 
methods  of  acquiring  and  holding  property  in 
lands  touched  by  civilization.  The  greatest  de- 
tails are  given,  for  example  regarding  zakat  on 
camels,  but  there  is  no  precedent  for  zakat  on 
city  lots  or  on  railway  bonds!  One  fortieth  of 
the  total  income  is  about  the  usual  rate.  The 
tithe  of  the  Old  Testament  was  a  much  larger 
portion  and  was  supplemented  by  many  free- 
will offerings. 

The  wonderftil  and  cheerful  hospitality  of 
so  many  Moslem  peoples  finds  here,  in  part, 
its  religious  ground  and  explanation.  It  is  a 
religious  duty  to  be  hospitable.  Mohammed 
excelled  in  this  Semitic  virtue  himself,  and  left 
a  noble  example  to  his  followers.  Arabia  is  a 
land  without  hotels,  but  with  lavish  hospitality 
nearly  everywhere.  The  same  is  true  of  other 
Moslem  lands. 

The  pilgrimage  to  Mecca  is  not  only  one  of 


What  Moslems  Believe  and  Practise       75 

the  pillars  of  the  religion  of  Islam,  but  it  has 
proved  one  of  the  strongest  bonds  of  union  and 
has  always  exercised  a  tremendous  influence  as 
a  missionary  agency.  Even  to-day  the  pil- 
grims who  return  from  Mecca  to  their  native 
villages  in  Java,  India,  and  west  Africa  are 
fanatical  ambassadors  of  the  greatness  and  glory 
of  Islam.  From  an  ethical  standpoint,  the 
Mecca  pilgrimage,  with  its  superstitious  and 
childish  ritual,  is  a  blot  upon  Mohammedan 
monotheism.  But  as  a  great  magnet  to  drav/ 
the  Moslem  world  together  with  an  annual  and 
ever-widening  esprit  de  corps,  the  Mecca  pil- 
grimage is  without  a  rival.  The  number  of 
pilgrims  that  come  to  Mecca  varies  from  year  to 
year.  The  vast  majority  arrive  by  sea  from 
Egypt,  India,  and  the  Malay  Archipelago.  The 
pilgrim  caravan  from  Syria  and  Arabia  by  land 
is  growing  smaller  every  year,  for  the  roads  are 
very  unsafe.  It  will  probably  increase  again 
on  the  completion  of  the  Hejaz  railway  from 
Damascus  to  Mecca.  All  told,  the  present  num- 
ber is  from  sixty  to  ninety  thousand  pilgrims 
each  year. 

For  the  details  of  the  pilgrimage  one  must  observances 
read  Burckhardt,  Burton,  or  other  of  the  dozen 
travelers  who  have  risked  their  lives  in  visiting 
the   forbidden   cities   of   Islam.     In   brief,   the 
ceremonies  are  as  follows:    After  donning  the 


76  The  Moslem  World 

garb  of  a  pilgrim  and  performing  the  legal 
ablutions,  the  pilgrim  visits  the  sacred  mosque 
and  kisses  the  Black  Stone.  He  then  runs 
around  the  Kaaba  seven  times,  next  he  offers  a 
prayer:  **0  Allah,  Lord  of  the  Ancient  House, 
free  my  neck  from  hell-fire  and  preserve  me 
from  every  evil  deed;  make  me  contented  with 
the  daily  food  thou  givest  me,  and  bless  me  in 
all  thou  hast  granted."  At  "the  place  of 
Abraham"  he  also  prays;  he  drinks  water  from 
the  sacred  well  of  Zemzem  and  again  kisses  the 
Black  Stone.  Then  the  pilgrim  runs  between 
the  hills  of  Safa  and  Marwa  near  Mecca.  On 
his  return  he  stops  at  Mina  and  stones  three 
pillars  of  masonry  known  as  the  ** Great  Devil," 
"the  middle  pillar,"  and  the  "first  one"  with 
seven  small  pebbles.  Finally  there  is  the  sacri- 
fice of  a  sheep  or  other  animal  as  the  climax  of 
the  pilgrim's  task.  The  whole  pilgrimage  is,  as 
some  Moslems  confess,  "a  fragment  of  incom- 
prehensible heathenism  taken  up  undigested 
into  Islam."  And  as  regards  the  veneration 
for  the  Black  Stone,  there  is  a  tradition  that  the 
Caliph  Omar  remarked:  "By  God,  I  know  that 
thou  art  only  a  stone  and  canst  grant  no  benefit 
or  do  no  harm.  And  had  I  not  known  that  the 
prophet  kissed  thee  I  would  not  have  done  it." 
Kaaba  and  'phg  Kaaba  and  its  Black  Stone  merit  at  least 

Black  Stone  ...  .  ,         .  i 

a  paragraph,  since  they  are  the  center  toward 


What  Moslems  Believe  and  Practise       77 

which,  as  toward  the  shrine  of  their  religion, 
the  prayers  and  pilgrim- journeys  of  millions 
have  gravitated  for  thirteen  centuries.  The 
story  goes  that  when  Adam  and  Eve  fell  from 
Paradise,  Adam  landed  on  a  mountain  in  Ceylon 
and  Eve  fell  at  Jiddah,^  on  the  western  coast  of 
Arabia.  After  a  hundred  years  of  wandering 
they  met  near  Mecca  and  here  Allah  constructed 
for  them  a  tabernacle  on  the  site  of  the  present 
Kaaba.  He  put  in  its  foundation  the  famous 
stone,  once  whiter  than  snow,  but  since  turned 
black  by  the  kisses  of  pilgrims. 

The  Kaaba  or  Moslem  temple  at  Mecca  stands  Setting  of  the 
in  an  oblong  space  250  paces  long  by  200  broad. 
This  open  space  is  surrounded  by  colonnades  used 
for  schools  and  as  the  general  rendezvous  of  pil- 
grims. It  is  in  turn  surrounded  by  the  outer 
temple  wall,  with  its  nineteen  gates  and  six 
minarets.  The  Mosque  is  of  much  more  recent 
date  than  the  Kaaba,  which  was  well  known  as 
an  idolatrous  Arabian  shrine  long  before  the 
time  of  Mohammed.  The  Sacred  Mosque  and 
its  Kaaba  contain  the  following  treasures:  the 
Black  Stone,  the  well  of  Zemzem,  the  great  pul- 
pit, the  staircase  and  the  Kubattein,  or  two 
small  mosques  of  Kaab  and  Abbas.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  space  is  occupied  by  pavements 
and  gravel  arranged  to  accommodate  and  dis- 

^  Jiddah  signifies  "grandmother," 


78 


The  Moslem  World 


The  Black 
Stone  an 
Aerolite 


Dtrtyto  Make 
Pilgrimage 


Other 

Religious 

Practises 


Circumcision 


tinguish  the  four  orthodox  sects  in  their  devo« 
tions. 

The  Black  Stone  is  undoubtedly  the  oldest 
treasure  of  Mecca.  Stone-worship  was  an  Ara- 
bian form  of  idolatry  in  very  ancient  times,  and 
relics  of  it  remain  in  many  parts  of  the  peninsula. 
Maximus  Tyrius  wrote  in  the  second  century, 
**The  Arabians  pay  homage  to  I  know  not  what 
god,  which  they  represent  by  a  quadrangular 
stone."  It  is  probably  an  aerolite  and  owes  its 
reputation  to  its  fall  from  the  sky. 

The  pilgrimage  to  Mecca  is  incumbent  on 
every  free  Moslem,  male  or  female,  who  is  of 
age  and  has  sufficient  means  for  the  journey. 
Many  of  them,  unwilling  to  undergo  the  hard- 
ship of  the  journey,  engage  a  substitute,  and 
thus  purchase  the  merit  for  themselves.  Most 
Moslems  also  visit  the  tomb  of  Mohammed  at 
Medina  and  claim  the  prophet's  authority  for 
this  added  merit.  The  Shiah  Moslems  visit 
Kerbela  and  Meshad  Ali,  where  their  martyr- 
saints  are  buried. 

In  addition  to  what  is  said  about  these  ''five 
pillars"  of  the  faith,  a  word  is  necessary  regard- 
ing certain  other  Moslem  practises,  if  we  are  to 
complete  the  sketch  of  e very-day  religion. 

Circumcision,  although  not  once  alluded  to  in 
the  Koran,  is  the  initiative  rite  among  all  Mos- 
lems everywhere,  and  in  that  respect  it  corre 


1 ¥~ 

r^^^ 

.♦.t. 

^0^ 
J^'^ 

:o: 

:o: 

:o: 

:o: 

■■■■■ 

■■■■■ 

■■■■1 

■■■■■ 

■■■■■■rf^!!!!^ 

^-^MOSl^EM   PILORinS   GOING  TO  THE 

^^t   Tomb  OF  iMOSE3 ,  EAST  oj*  JERUaALEM. 
^*XU 


What  Moslems  Believe  and  Practise       79 

spends  somewhat  to  baptism.  Its  performance 
is  attended  with  religious  festivities,  and  its 
omission  is  equivalent  to  a  denial  of  the  faith. 
Its  observance  is  founded  upon  tradition,  that 
is,  the  custom  of  Mohammed. 

Moslems  have  two  great  feast  days;  one  on  Feasts  and 
the  first  day  after  Ramazan,  when  the  long 
fast  is  broken,  and  the  other  the  great  feast, 
which  is  the  Feast  of  Sacrifice,  The  first  of  these 
feasts  is  especially  a  time  for  rejoicing  and  alms- 
giving. Special  public  prayer  is  held  and  a 
sermon  is  delivered  to  the  vast  assemblies  in  the 
open  air.  All  wear  their  best  dress,  generally 
new  clothing,  and  even  the  women  don  all  their 
jewels  while  they  celebrate  the  feast  in  the 
zenana  or  the  harem  with  amusements  and 
indulgences. 

The  Feast  of  Sacrifice  is  observed  by  animal  Feast  of 
sacrifices  simultaneously  celebrated  ever3rwhere. 
It  is  held  in  commemoration  of  Abraham's  will- 
ingness to  sacrifice  Isaac,  or,  as  the  Moslems 
believe,  Ishmael.  It  is  a  notable  fact  and  an 
enigma  that  while  Mohammed  professed  to 
abrogate  the  Jewish  ritual  and  ignored  the 
doctrine  of  an  atonement,  even  denying  the 
fact  of  our  Savior's  crucifixion,  he  yet  made 
the  Day  of  Sacrifice  the  great  central  festival 
of  his  religion. 

A  religious  war,  or  jahad,  against  infidels  is  -vvaj. 


8o  The  Moslem  World 

a  duty  plainly  taught  by  the  Koran  and  by  tra- 
dition, for  example:  "Kill  those  who  join  other 
gods  with  God,  wherever  ye  shall  find  them."^ 
And  a  dozen  other  passages  command  believers 
to  make  war,  to  kill,  and  to  fight  in  the  path  of 
God.     Some   apologists  for  Islam  attempt  to 
avoid  the  fact  of  an  appeal  to  use  the  sword  by 
interpreting  these  passages  in  a  semi-spiritual 
way,  and  they  even  try  to  make  jahad  mean  a 
sort  of  Christian  Endeavor  Society  for  propa- 
gating Islam!     But  Marcus  Dods  replies  with 
truth:   "The  man  must  shut  his  eyes  to  the 
broadest    and   most    conspicuous   facts   of   the 
history  of  Islam  who  denies  that  the  sword  has 
been  the  great  means  of  propagating  this  re- 
ligion.      Until    Mohammed    appealed    to    the 
sword   his   faith  made   very  little  way."    The 
history  of  the  Wahabis  of  Arabia  in  the  nine- 
teenth  century,  the  Armenian  massacres,  the 
Mahdis  of  the  Sudan  and  of  Somaliland,  and 
the  almost  universal  hope  among  Moslems  to 
use  the   power  of  the  sword   again — all  these 
are  proofs  that  jahad  is  one   of  the  religious 
forces  of  Mohammedanism  which  Christendom 
cannot  afford  to  ignore.     The  sword  is  in  its 
sheath  to-day,  and  we  hope  it  will  stay  there. 
May  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  soon  win  such  vic- 
tories in   Moslem  lands   that   love   shall   take 


^  Sura  q:s. 


What  Moslems  Believe  and  Practise       8i 

the  place  of  hatred  and  the  Prince  of  Peace 
rule  all  hearts  and  all  Moslem  lands! 


QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  III 

Aim:  To  Estimate  the  Effect  on  Personal  Charac- 
ter OF  Moslem  Faith  and  Practise 

1.  Quote  the  Old  Testament  passages  from  which 
you  derive  what  are  to  you  the  most  significant 
ideas  of  God. 

2.  How  would  you  sum  up  the  attributes  of  the 
God  of  the  Old  Testament? 

3.  Quote  the  New  Testament  passages  from 
which  you  derive  your  ideas  of  God. 

4.  In  what  ways  does  the  character  of  Christ 
enrich  your  ideas  of  God? 

5.  In  what  ways  are  they  enriched  by  your  belief 
as  to  the  Holy  Spirit? 

6.  Sum  up  your  ideas  as  to  the  character  of  God. 

7.  What  practical  consequences  should  these  ideas 
have  for  your  own  personal  life? 

8.  What  consequences  as  to  your  relations  to- 
ward others? 

9.  What,  as  to  your  missionary  ideals  and  spirit? 
10.     Subtract  from  your  own  ideals  of  God  those 


82  The  Moslem  World 

which  Moslems  do  not  have,  and  try  to  im- 
agine the  result. 

11.  What  do  you  think  would  be  the  practical  con- 
sequences to  your  life  of  belief  in  such  a 
Being? 

12.  What  motives  would  you  have  for  growth  in 
character  ? 

13.  What  would  be  the  character  of  the  missionary 
spirit  fostered  by  such  a  belief? 

14.  In  what  ways  do  you  think  your  life  would  be 
different  if  you  believed  in  Jinn? 

15.  What  are  the  practical  advantages  of  the  Mos- 
lem belief  in  the  Koran  as  the  absolutely  un- 
corrupted  word  of  God? 

16.  What  are  the  disadvantages  of  this  belief? 

17.  What  is  likely  to  be  the  effect  on  the  develop- 
ment of  Islam  of  the  vagueness  of  so  much  of 
the  Koran? 

18.  Would  it  be  better  to  have  Christ  mentioned, 
as  he  is  in  Moslem  teaching,  or  not  at  all? 

19.  What  do  you  think  would  be  the  practical 
eflfect  on  character  of  the  Moslem  idea  of 
heaven  ? 

20.  Name  some  possible  good  effects  of  a  belief 
in  strict  predestination. 

21.  What  are  the  evil  effects  of  this  belief  on  indi- 
vidual character  and  on  society? 

22.  What  have  been  the  principal  advantages  to 
Islam,  as  a  system,  of  the  prescriptions  as  to 
prayer? 


What  Moslems  Believe  and  Practise       83 

23.  Try  to  imagine  what  prayer  of  this  kind  would 
mean  to  you. 

24.  What  sort  of  character  would  you  expect  in  a 
man  who  had  been  taught  from  childhood  to 
pray  only  in  this  way? 

25.  What  do  j'ou  think  would  be  the  principal 
effects  on  those  present  of  the  pilgrimage  to 
Mecca,  with  its  ceremonies? 

26.  Sum  up  the  principal  advantages  of  the  stereo- 
typed  character  of   IMoslem   religions  practise. 

27.  Sum  up  the  principal  disadvantages. 


REFERENCES  FOR  ADVANCED  STUDY 
-CHAPTER  III 

I.  Moslem  Idea  of  God. 

Clarke:  The  Great  Religions,  Vol.  II,  p.  68. 

Johnstone:  ]\Iuhammad  and  His  Power,  197-201. 

Noble :  The  Redemption  of  Africa,  73. 

St.  Clair  Tisdall :  The  Religion  of  the  Crescent,  9-24. 

Sell :  The  Faith  of  Islam,  185-209. 

Smith:  The  Bible  and  Islam,  IV. 

Wherry:    Islam    and    Christianity    in    the    Far    East, 

32-34- 
Zwemer:  The  Moslem  Doctrine  of  God,  I,  II,  VIII. 

II.  Moslem  Belief  in  Angels  and  Jinn. 

Gilman:  Saracens,  15,  17,  62. 

Hughes:  A  Dictionary  of  Islam.     (See  Articles.) 


84  The  Moslem  World 

Macdonald:    Muslim    Theology,    Jurisprudence,    and 

Constitutional  Theory,  76,  281,  283,  286. 
Sell :  The  Faith  of  Islam,  226-235. 

III.  Moslem  Belief  Regarding  Jesus  Christ. 

Bate:  Studies  in  Islam,  57,  68,  69,  71,  342,  346. 
Hughes:  A  Dictionary  of  Islam,  229-235. 
Sell :  The  Faith  of  Islam,  239-240,  248,  249,  265. 
Wherry:  Islam  and  Christianity  in  the  Far  East,  144. 
Zwemer:  The  Moslem  Doctrine  of  God,  83-89. 


A  GENERAL  VIEW  OF  THE 
MOSLEM  WORLD 


85 


It  is  often  said  by  fools,  or  by  those  who  think 
thereby  to  make  favor  with  the  great,  *'  The  curse  of 
God  upon  the  Christian  " ;  *'  May  hell  consume  the  un- 
believer, his  household,  and  his  possessions.  "  These 
are  unbecoming  words,  for  curses  pollute  the  lips  of 
the  curser,  and  the  camel  lies  in  wait  for  the  driver 
who  smites  him  unjustly.  .  .  .  He  must  be  blind 
who  sees  not  what  the  English  have  wrought  in  Egypt : 
the  gates  of  justice  stand  open  to  the  poor;  the  streams 
flow  through  the  land,  and  are  not  stopped  at  the  order 
of  the  strong;  the  poor  man  is  lifted  up  and  the  rich 
man  pulled  down,  the  hand  of  the  oppressor  and  the 
briber  is  struck  when  outstretched  to  do  evil.     .     .     . 

— A  Moslem's  view 

The  time  has  come  for  the  Church  of  Christ  seriously 
to  consider  her  duty  to  this  large  fraction  of  our  race. 
It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  a  Church  guided  and  in- 
spired by  an  Almighty  Leader  will  neglect  a  duty 
simply  because  it  is  difficult  and  calls  for  faith  and 
fortitude.  It  is  especially/  foreign  to  the  spirit  of 
American  Christianity  to  slight  a  task  because  it  is 
hard,  or  ignore  a  question  of  moral  reform  or  re- 
ligious responsibility  because  it  looks  formidable. 

— James  S.  Dennis 


86 


IV 


A    GENERAL    VIEW    OF    THE    MOSLEM 
WORLD 

If  we  regard  numbers,  Islam  is  among  the 
mightiest  of  all  the  non-christian  reUgions;  as 
regards  its  geographical  distribution,  it  is  the 
only  religion  besides  Christianity  which  holds  a 
world-em-pire  of  hearts  in  its  grasp;  and  its 
wonderful  and  rapid  spread  proves  beyond  a 
doubt  that  it  is  a  great  missionary  rehgion  and 
aims  at  world-conquest.  Mecca  has  become 
the  religious  capital  and  the  center  of  universal 
pilgrimage  for  one  seventh  of  the  human  race. 
Islam  in  its  present  extent  embraces  three  con- 
tinents and  counts  its  behevers  from  Sierra 
Leone,  in  Africa,  to  Canton,  in  China,  and  from 
Tobolsk,  Siberia,  to  Singapore  and  Java.  In 
Russia  Moslems  spread  their  prayer-carpets 
southward  toward  Mecca;  at  Zanzibar  they  look 
northward  to  the  Holy  City;  in  Kan-su  and 
Shen-si  millions  of  Chinese  Moslems  pray 
toward  the  west,  and  in  the  wide  Sudan  they 
look  eastward  toward  the  Beit  Allah  and  the 
Black  Stone — a  vast  Moslem  brotherhood. 
87 


A  World-wide 
Religion 


8S 


The  Moslem  World 


One  Language 
and  Many 
Races 


Numbers 


Arabic  is  the  language  of  the  Koran,  but 
there  are  millions  of  Moslems  who  cannot  un- 
derstand a  single  sentence  of  Mohammed's 
book,  for  they  speak  other  languages.  On  the 
streets  of  Mecca  one  may  see  drawn  together 
by  a  common  faith  the  Turkish  effendi  in  Paris 
costume,  with  Constantinople  etiquette;  the 
half -naked  Bedouin  of  the  desert;  the  fierce 
Afghan  mountaineer;  the  Russian  trader  from 
the  far  north;  the  almond-eyed  Moslem  from 
Yun-nan ;  the  Indian  graduate  from  the  Calcutta 
universities;  Persians,  Somalis,  Hausas,  Jav- 
anese, Sudanese,  Egyptians,  Berbers,  Kabyles, 
and  Moors.  Mecca  at  the  time  of  the  annual 
pilgrimage  has  a  pilgrim  population  of  about 
sixty  thousand,  and  among  them  are  representa- 
tives of  every  nation  under  heaven. 

It  is  manifestly  impossible  to  obtain  anything 
better  than  a  careful  estimate  of  the  total  Mo- 
hammedan population  of  the  globe,  for  so  many 
lands  that  are  prevaiHngly  Moslem  have  never 
had  a  census  nor  heard  of  one,  and  there  is 
great  uncertainty  as  to  the  total  population 
of  large  districts  in  Africa  and  of  the  western 
provinces  of  China.  The  following  estimates 
of  the  total  Moslem  population  of  the  world 
lead  to  the  belief  that  there  are  about  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  million  people  who 
are  nominally  Mohammedans: 


View  of  the  Moslem  World  hg 

Statesman's  Year-Book,  1890 203,600,000 

Brockhaus,  Convers-Lexikon,  1894 175,000,000 

Mvihert^axiSQnfVerbreitungdes  Islams,  1897  259,680,672 
S.  M.  Zwemer,  Missioitary  Review  of  the 

World,  1898 196,491,842 

Algemeine  Missions  Zeitschrift,  1902 175,290,000 

H.Wichmann,  in  Justus  Perthes'yl^Zaj,  1903  240,000,000 
William    Curtis,    in   Syria   and   Palestine, 

1903 300,000,000 

Encyclopedia  of  Missions,  1904 193,550,000 

The  Mohammedan  World  of  To-day.    (Cairo 

Conference,  1907) 232,966,170 

The  discrepancy  in  these  figures  depends  al-  varying 

.       .  ^  .  .  «      .  Estimates 

most  entirely  on  the  varymg  estimates  of  the  in  two  Fields 
number  of  Moslems  in  the  Sudan  and  in  China. 
For  the  rest  of  the  world  there  seems  to  be 
agreement. 

To  begin  with  Africa,  where  Islam  has  cov-  isiamin 

^  .       .  ^         .         Africa 

ered  the  largest  area  m  its  conquest  and  mis- 
sionary propaganda,  the  stronghold  of  Moham- 
medanism Hes  along  the  Mediterranean.  North 
of  twenty  degrees  latitude  the  Moslems  consti- 
tute ninety-one  per  cent,  of  the  total  popula- 
tion. Thirty-three  per  cent,  of  Africa's  entire 
population  is  Mohammedan,  or  about  fifty 
million  souls  out  of  the  whole  number,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  millions.  South  of  the  equa- 
tor there  are  already  over  four  million  Moham- 
medans and  in  the  Congo  Free  State  there  are 
said  to   be   nearly   two   millions. 


90 


The  Moslem  World 


Most  Rapid 
Spread 


Islam  in  Asia 
and  Europe 


Dr.  W.  R.  Miller,  for  some  years  a  mission- 
ary in  west  Africa,  states  that  "  Islam  seems 
to  be  spreading  in  Lagos,  the  Yoruba  country, 
Sierra  Leone,  and  the  French  Sudan;  but  in 
most  of  these  places,  as  also  in  the  Nupe  country, 
it  is  of  a  very  low  order,  and  in  the  presence 
of  a  vigorous  Christian  propaganda  it  will  not 
finally  add  strength  to  Islam  Still,  the  num- 
ber of  Moslems  is  undoubtedly  increasing  rap- 
idly. 

Unless  the  Church  awakes  to  the  peril  of 
Islam  she  may  once  more  be  defeated  in 
Africa.  **The  spread  of  Islam  in  Africa  is 
one  of  the  most  striking  phenomena  of  the 
nineteenth  century  and  taken  in  connection 
with  the  cultural  revival  of  the  Moslem  world 
in  Asia  is  the  feature  of  the  situation  which 
is  of  the  gravest  import.  There  are  three  cur- 
rents of  Mohammedanism  which  are  spread- 
ing in  Africa, — ^from  the  Upper  Nile,  from  Zan- 
zibar into  the  Congo  region,  and  lastly  up  the 
Niger  basin.  Christianity,  which  is  only  a 
feeble  plant  in  these  regions,  is  likely  to  be  over- 
whelmed altogether,  just  as  the  flourishing 
North  African  Church  was  overwhelmed  by  the 
Arabs  at  an  earlier  stage  of  history." 

Out  of  the  total  world  population  there  are 
about  one  hundred  and  seventy  million  Mos- 
lems in  Asia  and  about  five  milUons  in  Europe. 


View  of  the  Moslem  World  91 

Generally  speaking,  one  fifth  of  the  total  popu- 
lation of  Asia  is  Mohammedan.  The  following 
countries  in  Asia  are  predominantly  and  some 
almost  wholly  Moslem:  Arabia,  Asia  Minor, 
Mesopotamia,  Turkestan,  Bokhara,  Khiva, 
Persia,  Afghanistan,  Baluchistan,  Java,  Su- 
matra, Celebes,  and  the  southern  islands  of  the 
PhiHppine  group.  In  Syria  and  Armenia  the  non- 
Moslem  population  outnumbers  that  of  Islam. 

The  chief  numerical  strength  of  the  Moham-  Moslem 
medan  faith,  however,  is  in  India,  which  has  a  strongholds 
larger  Moslem  population  than  all  Africa  and 
far  more  than  the  total  populations  of  Arabia, 
Persia,  Egypt,  and  the  Turkish  Empire  com- 
bined. By  the  last  census  the  number  of  Mos- 
lems in  India  is  62,458,077.  In  Bengal,  includ- 
ing Assam,  there  are  27,076,733,  and  in  the 
Punjab,  12,183,345.  In  the  Dutch  East  Indies 
there  are  about  twenty-nine  million  Moslems  out 
of  a  total  population  of  thirty-six  millions.  The 
number  of  Moslems  in  China  is  variously  given 
from  twenty  to  thirty  or  even  forty  millions. 
The  largest  number  is  in  the  province  of  Kan-su, 
in  the  extreme  northwest,  where  8,550,000  are 
reported.  Some  6,500,000  are  found  in  Shen-si, 
in  the  north,  and  3,500,000  in  Ytin-nan,  in  the 
extreme  southwest. 

In  the   Philippines  there  are  about   300,000  The  Philippines 

^^  ^  and  Russia 

Moslems,  mostly  in  the  southern  group  of  is- 


by  Languages 


92  The  Moslem  World 

lands.  The  total  number  of  Moslems  in  the 
Russian  Empire,  chiefly  in  Asia,  according  to 
the  last  census,  is  13,906,972,  which  equals  9.47 
per  cent,  of  the  total  population,  while  the  Rus- 
sian Jews  number  only  3.55  per  cent.  For  other 
lands  see  the  map  at  the  end  of  the  book. 
Distribution  f[iQ  sacrcd  language  of  Islam  is  Arabic.    Mo- 

hammed called  it  the  language  of  the  angels. 
And  the  Arabic  Koran  is  to  this  day  the  text- 
book in  all  Moslem  schools  the  world  over. 
Arabic  is  the  spoken  language  not  only  of 
Arabia,  but  is  used  all  over  Syria,  Palestine, 
and  the  whole  of  northern  Africa.  As  a  written 
language  it  has  thousands  of  readers  in  every 
part  of  the  Moslem  world;  and  yet  to  four 
fifths  of  the  believers  Arabic  is  a  dead  lan- 
guage and  not  understood  by  the  people.  But 
all  public-worship  and  all  daily  prayer  must  be 
in  the  Arabic  tongue.  In  the  Philippine  Islands 
the  first  chapter  of  the  Arabic  Koran  is  re- 
peated before  dawn  paints  the  sky  red.  The 
refrain  is  taken  up  in  Moslem  prayers  at  Peking 
and  is  repeated  across  the  whole  of  China.  It  is 
heard  in  the  valleys  of  the  Himalayas  and  on 
"The  Roof  of  the  World."  A  little  later  the 
Persians  pronounce  these  Arabic  words,  and 
then  across  the  peninsula  the  muezzins  call  the 
"faithful"  to  the  same  prayer.  At  the  waters 
of  the  Nile  the  cry,  "Allahu  Akbar,"  is  again 


View  of  the  Moslem  World  93 

sounded  forth,  ever  carrying  the  Arab  speech 
westward  across  the  Sudan,  the  Sahara,  and 
the  Barbary  States,  until  it  is  last  heard  in  the 
mosques  of  Morocco. 

As  the  speech  of  the  Moslem  conquest,  ^^^^^  Upon 
the  influence  of  the  Arabic  language  on  other  Llnguages 
tongues  and  peoples  has  been  great,  ever 
since  the  rise  of  Islam.  The  Persian  language 
adopted  the  Arabic  alphabet  and  a  large 
number  of  Arabic  words  and  phrases.  As  for 
Hindustani,  three  fourths  of  its  vocabulary 
consists  of  Arabic  words  or  Arabic  words  de- 
rived through  the  Persian.  The  Turkish  lan- 
guage also  is  indebted  for  many  words  taken 
from  the  Arabic  and  uses  the  Arabic  alphabet. 
The  Malay  language,  through  the  Moslem  con- 
quest, was  also  touched  by  Arabic  influence  and 
Hkewise  adopted  its  alphabet.  In  Africa  its 
influence  was  yet  more  strongly  felt.  The 
language  extended  over  all  the  northern  half 
of  the  continent  and  is  still  growing  in  use  to- 
day. But  Islam  spread  even  more  rapidly  than 
did  the  language  of  the  Koran,  and  in  conse- 
quence the  Mohammedan  world  of  to-day  is 
no  longer  of  one  speech,  but  polyglot.*     The 

^  An  approximate  estimate  shows  that  62,000,000  Moslems  speak 
the  languages  of  India;  only  45,000,000  speak  Arabic  as  their  mother 
tongue;  27,000,000  use  African  languages  other  than  Arabic;  30,000,- 
000  Moslems  m  China,  Chinese -Turkestan  and  among  the  Chinese  of 
Southern  Asia  speak  Chmese;  2q, 000, 000  the  languages  of  the  Malay 
Archipelago;  and  other  millions  Turkish  Slavonic  and  Turkish. 


94 


The  Moslem  World 


Bible  in 
Every  Moslem 
Language 


Chief  Moslem 
Sects.    Sunnis 


Mohammedans,  so  far  from  thinking,  as  some 
suppose,  that  the  Koran  is  profaned  by  a  trans- 
lation, have  themselves  made  translations,  but 
always  interlinear  ones  with  the  original  text, 
into  Persian,  Urdu,  Pushtu,  Turkish,  Javan, 
Mala3^an,  and  two  or  three  other  languages, 
but  such  copies  of  the  Koran  in  two  languages 
are,  however,  expensive  and  rare. 

The  table  below  shows  at  once  the  polyglot 
character  of  Islam  and  the  splendid  array  of 
weapons  prepared  in  God's  providence  for  the 
spiritual  conquest  of  the  Moslem  world. ^  The 
Bible  speaks  every  Moslem  language  to-day  and 
is  winning  its  way  against  the  Arabic  Koran. 

The  number  of  Moslem  sects  is  far  in  excess 
of  those  in  the   Christian  religion.     The  two 

1  Table  showing  into  which  languages,  spoken  by    Moslems    as 
their  vernaculars,  the  Bible  has  been  translated  in  whole  or  in  part: 

1.  Arabic:  whole  Bible. 

2.  Persian:  w^hole  Bible. 

3.  Urdu:  whole  Bible. 

4.  Turkish- 

Ottoman;  whole  Bible. 
Azarbaijani:  whole  Bible. 
Uzbek:  four  Gospels. 
Bashkir:  four  Gospels. 
Jagatai:  St.  Matthew. 
Kalmuk:  New  Testament. 
Karass:  New  Testament. 

5.  Pashto:  whole  Bible. 

6.  Bilochi:  portions. 

7.  Malay — 

gj^hf  portions. 

8.  Javanese:  portions. 
p.  Kiswahili :  whole  Bible. 
lo.  Hausa:  portions. 


II.  Kurdish — 

Kirmanshahi :  foxxr  Gospels; 

also  the  New  Testament  in 

another  dialect  of  Kurdish, 

bitt   printed   in   Armenian 

characters. 
Bengali     (Musalmani);    por- 

tions. 
Chinese:  whole  Bible. 
Ki-ganda:  whole  Bible. 
Berber:  two  Gospels. 
Kabyle:  New  Testament. 
Albanian:  New  Testament. 
i8.  Kashmiri:    whole  Bible  (but 

not  in  Arabic  character  for 

Moslems). 

19.  Gujarati:    whole   Bible    (but 

not  in  Arabic  character). 

20.  Punjabi:  Bible  (parts  in  Ara- 

bic character  and  in  lan- 
guage understood  by  Mos- 
len 


ems). 
-Methods  of  Mission  Work  Among  Moslems,  87,  88. 


View  of  the  Moslem  World  95 

chief  sects  to-day  are  the  Sunnis  and  the  Shiahs. 
The  former  are  the  followers  of  tradition  and 
are  the  orthodox  sect.  To  them  the  Koran  is 
the  Procrustean  bed  for  the  human  intellect. 
Everything  is  measured  by  its  standard.  This 
sect  has  four  schools  of  jurisprudence  which  dif- 
fer in  many  details  from  the  ritual  and  civil  law. 

The  Shiahs  are  the  partizans  of  the  house  of  shiahs 
AH,  and  they  assert  that  he  should  have  been 
the  first  of  the  caliphs  after  Mohammed's  death. 
So  great  is  their  hatred  toward  the  earlier  caliphs 
that  in  one  of  their  festivals  three  images  of 
dough  filled  with  honey  are  made  to  represent 
Abu  Bekr,  Omar,  and  Othman,  which  are  then 
stuck  with  knives  and  the  honey  is  sipped  as 
typical  of  the  blood  of  the  usurping  caliphs! 
The  festival  is  named  Ghadir,  from  the  place  in 
Arabia  where  their  traditions  say  Mohammed 
declared  Ali  his  rightful  successor. 

The  present  poHtical  division  of  the  Moham-  Political 
medan  world  is  a  startling  evidence  of  the  finger 
of  God  in  history  and  an  unprecedented  oppor- 
tunity for  missions.  Once  Moslem  empire 
was  coextensive  with  Moslem  faith.  In  907 
the  caHphate  included  Spain,  Morocco,  Al- 
geria, Tunis,  TripoH,  Egypt,  Syria,  Arabia, 
Persia,  Turkestan,  Afghanistan,  Baluchistan 
and  the  region  around  the  Caspian  Sea.  To- 
day the  empire  of  Abd  ul  Hamid,  caliph  of  all 


96  The  Moslem  World 

believers,  has  shrunk  to  such  small  proportions 
that  it  includes  less  than  sixteen  million  Mos- 
lems and  covers  only  Turkey,  Asia  Minor, 
Syria,  Tripoli,  and  one  fifth  of  Arabia.  The 
following  table  shows  the  present  division  of 
the  Mohammedan  population  of  the  world  as 
regards  governments: 

Governingj  MOHAMMEDAN   POPULATION  UNDER  CHRISTIAN  RULE   OR 

Pov/ers  PROTECTION 

Great  Britain  in  Africa 20,606,622 

Great  Britain  in  Asia 63,633,683 

84,240,305 

France  in  Africa 18,803,288 

France  in  Asia 1,455,238 

20,258,526 

Germany  in  Africa 2,572,500 

Italy,  Portugal,  Spain  and  Belgium,  in  Africa  2,722,177 

Liberia 600,000 

The  United  States  in  Asia 300,000 

The  Netherlands  in  Asia 29,026,350 

Russia  in  Europe  and  Asia 15,906,972 

Other  States  in  Europe;  Greece,  etc 1,360,402 

Australasia  and  America 68,000 

Grand  total  under  Christian  rule i57 5055*232 

UNDER    NON-CHRISTIAN    AND    NON-MOSLEM    RULE 

Abyssinia 350,000 

Chinese  Empire 30,000,000 

Siam 1,000,000 

Formosa 25,500 


Total 31.375.500 


View  of  the  Moslem  World  97 

UNDER    TURKISH    RULE 

Europe 2,050,000 

Africa 1,250,000 

Asia 12,228,800 

Total 15,528,800 

UNDER    OTHER    MOSLEM    RULERS 

Morocco 5,600,000 

Independent  Arabia 3,000,000 

Afghanistan 3,982,448 

Persia 8,800,000 

Total 21,382,448 

Grand  total  under  non-christian  rule.  .  .     68,286,748 

We  see  from  this  table  that  the  total  number  Mohamme- 
of  Mohammedans  under  the  rule  or  protection  ch"Ltian^^ 
of  Christian  powers  is  157,055,232,  and  it  does  Rule 
not   require   the   gift   of  prophecy  to   see  yet 
greater  future  political  changes  in  the  Levant, 
Arabia,  and  Persia  than  have  taken  place  in 
Africa  during  the  past  two  decades,  with  the 
result  of  adding  more  millions  to  this  number — 
and   to   the   responsibility   of   Christian   i^ulers 
and  the  Church  of  Christ. 

Because  of  age-long  warfare  for  the  spread  Present 
of  Islam,  the  whole  world  came  to  be  regarded  unrest, 
from  the  days  of  the  caliphs,  both  by  the  propa- 
gandists of  the  faith  and  by  the  rulers  of  Moslem 
lands,  as  divided  into  two  great  portions — the 
Dar-ul-Harb  and  the  Dar-ul-Islam,  the  territory 


98 


The  Moslem  World 


Striking 

Historical 

Change 


Complaining 
Appeals 


of  war  and  the  territory  of  Islam.  These  two 
divisions,  one  of  which  represented  the  lands 
of  infidels  and  darkness,  the  other  of  true 
behevers  and  light,  were  supposed  to  be  in  a 
continual  state  of  open  or  latent  belligerency 
until  Islam  should  have  absorbed  the  lands  of 
infidelity  or  made  them  subject. 

But  history  has  turned  the  tables,  as  we  have 
seen,  and  five  sixths  of  the  two  hundred  and 
twenty-five  millions  of  "true  believers"  are  now 
under  non-Moslem  rule.  In  proportion, therefore, 
as  during  the  past  century  the  political  independ- 
ence of  Moslem  countries  was  threatened  or  an- 
nihilated, there  arose  unrest,  envy,  and  open  or 
secret  rebellion  against  non-Moslem  rule.  The 
pilgrims  meeting  at  Mecca  from  distant  lands 
all  had  the  same  story  to  tell — ^the  infidel  gov- 
ernments were  taking  possession  of  the  Mo- 
hammedan world. 

Fifty  years  ago  an  Arabic  pamphlet  was  sent 
out  by  a  learned  theologian  at  Mecca,  entitled 
"General  Advice  to  the  Kings  and  Peoples  of 
Islam."  It  drew  attention  to  the  steadily  in- 
creasing political  power  of  Christian  nations, 
to  the  crying  wrongs  and  cruelties  committed 
by  them  against  Islam,  and  pointed  out  the 
only  way  of  escape  from  total  destruction. 
About  three  years  ago  there  appeared  in  a  Cairo 
paper  a  proclamation  to  Indians  and  Egyptians 


View  of  the  Moslem  World  99 

to  rise  against  England,  from  which  the  follow- 
ing extracts  are  taken:  "It  is  thus  that  the 
Enghsh  suck  the  blood  of  milHons  of  Indians, 
and  when  a  few  years  ago  the  cholera  broke  out, 
ravaging  the  country  frightfully,  the  English, 
instead  of  using  preventive  measures,  did  noth- 
ing to  stop  the  evil.  India  has  become  a  place 
of  pleasure-trips  and  sport  for  the  Britisher. 
The  Indian  chiefs  give  valuable  presents  to  the 
visitor,  who  returns  richly  laden  to  his  country, 
parading  at  the  same  time  the  honesty,  integrity, 
andincorruptibility  of  his  nation.  .  .  .  And 
then  was  it  not  the  English  government  which 
appointed  Warren  Hastings,  a  most  ignorant, 
corrupt,  and  tyrannical  fellow,  as  ruler  over  the 
whole  of  India?  It  was  only  after  numberless 
complaints  of  crying  injustices  had  reached  the 
Central  government  that  he  was  dismissed 
from  office.  Well,  such  is  the  manner  of  acting 
of  the  famous,  just,  civilized,  and  moderate 
Enghsh.  Happily  their  pohcy  of  infinite 
treachery  and  ruse  is  beginning  to  burst,  and  the 
time  of  revenge  against  these  insolent,  over- 
bearing, and  haughty  oppressors  has  arrived  at 
last.  The  elongated  shadow  of  the  afternoon 
sun  of  their  power  will  soon  disappear.  When 
his  majesty  the  King  of  England,  in  a  speech 
from  the  throne,  said:  *We  shall  accord  liberty 
and  independence  to  the  people  of  the  Transvaal, 


lOO 


The  Moslem  World 


in  order  to  facilitate  their  progress  and  to  secure 
their  attachment  to  the  Crown,'  the  people  of 
India  may  well  ask,  'Why  are  similar  conces- 
sions not  accorded  to  India,  or  are  the  Indians 
less  capable  and  less  gifted  than  the  South 
Africans?'  And,  further,  if  the  English  avail 
themselves  of  such  pretexts,  who  is  the  cause 
of  our  having  remained  behind — ^we,  the  quiet 
and  obedient  people,  or  the  so-called  disinter- 
ested, magnanimous  teacher? 

"It  is  all  useless  to  misrepresent  facts,  for  it 
is  patent  that  there  is  no  difference  between 
India  of  to-day  and  between  India  of  the  mid- 
dle ages,  and  all  high-sounding  statements  about 
our  great  strides  in  civilization  are  but  grandilo- 
quent, empty  talk.  Nobody  can  deny  that  the 
Indians  were  formerly  the  great  owners  of  cen- 
tral Asia;  their  culture  was  predominant,  and 
some  of  their  towns  became  the  center  of  learn- 
ing and  knowledge,  from  which  it  had  spread 
to  the  most  distant  parts  of  the  world.  Until 
quite  recently  nobody  knew  scarcely  anything 
about  Japan;  but  unity,  coupled  with  the  firm 
and  resolute  intention  of  a  handful  of  men, 
has  produced  extraordinary  results  and  van- 
quished the  once  much-dreaded  power  of  the 
North.  Afraid  of  this  wonderful  success,  proud 
and  haughty  Albion  had  to  condescend  and  to 
seek  the  friendship  and  alliance  of  Japan,  which 


View  of  the  Moslem  World  loi 

occupies  to-day  a  foremost  rank  amongst  the 
great  nations  of  the  world,  whereas  India,  hav- 
ing passed  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  under 
foreign  rule,  is  still  in  need  of  instruction  and 
education.  This  is  what  we  know  as  the  result 
of  British  rule  in  India.  Are  we  not  entitled  to 
ask  what  will  become  of  Egypt  under  the  rule 
of  the  same  power;  of  Egypt,  known  as  the 
Beauty  of  the  East,  the  trade  center  of  the 
world,  and  the  Lord  of  the  Seas ;  of  Egypt, whose 
export  has  lately  risen  to  a  height  never  at- 
tained by  India?  We  consequently  ask:  Has 
the  time  not  come  yet  when,  uniting  the  sup- 
pressed wailings  of  India  with  our  own  groans 
and  sighs  in  Egypt,  we  should  say  to  each  other, 
'Come  and  let  us  be  one,  following  the  divine 
words.  Victory  belongs  to  the  united  forces'?" 

The  former  French  Minister  of  the  Interior,  Elements  of 
M.  G.  Hanotaux,  wrote  of  this  same  political 
menace  of  Islam  in  Algeria  and  the  French 
Sudan  as  a  constant  peril  not  only  to  French 
rule,  but  to  Christian  civilization.  "Dangerous 
firebrands  of  discontent  are  ever  smoldering 
under  the  resigned  surface  of  these  conquered 
races,  which  have  been  often  defeated  but 
never  discouraged.  The  religious  orders  of 
Islam,  failing  a  political  leader  for  the  present, 
are  yet  keeping  their  powder  dry  for  the  day 
of  the  great  slaughter  and  the  great  victory." 


102  The  Moslem  World 

Solidarity  of         A  Spirit  of  unrcst  obtains  also  in  Java  and 
Islam  Sumatra,  where  Dutch  rule,  although  so  favor- 

able to  Islam,  seems  to  gall  their  pride  and 
awaken  their  desire  for  autonomy.  The  editor 
of  the  official  organ  of  the  Barmen  Mission, 
which  has  had  so  much  success  among  the  Mo- 
hammedans in  Sumatra,  wrote  a  few  years  ago: 
"We  have  often  been  forced  to  observe  that  the 
whole  Mohammedan  world  is  connected  by 
vSecret  threads,  and  that  a  defeat  which  Islam 
suffers  in  any  part  of  the  world,  or  a  triumph 
which  she  can  claim,  either  real  or  fictitious, 
has  its  reflex  action  even  on  the  work  of  our 
missionaries  in  the  Mohammedan  part  of  Su- 
matra. Thus  the  recent  massacres  in  Armenia 
have  filled  the  Mohammedans  in  this  part  of 
Sumatra  with  pride.  They  say  to  the  Chris- 
tians: 'You  see  now  that  the  Raja  of  Stamboul 
(that  is,  the  Sultan  of  Constantinople)  is  the 
one  whom  none  can  withstand ;  and  he  will  soon 
come  and  set  Sumatra  free,  and  then  we  shall 
do  with  the  Christians  as  the  Turks  did  with 
the  Armenians.'  And  it  is  a  fact  that  a  con- 
siderable number  of  Mohammedans  who  were 
receiving  instruction  as  candidates  for  baptism 
have  gone  back  since  the  receipt  of  this  news." 
A  mass  meeting  of  Indian  Moslems,  attended 
by  over  four  thousand  persons,  was  held  in 
Calcutta  on  Ma}^  20,   1906,  to  protest  against 


View  of  the  Moslem  World  103 

the  action  of  the  British  government  in  the 
matter  of  the  Egyptian  boundary  dispute,  and 
in  the  resolution  passed,  "the  Mohammedans  of 
Calcutta  express  profound  regret  and  dissatis- 
faction at  the  unhappy  policy  which  has  cul- 
minated in  strained  relations  between  His 
Imperial  Majesty,  the  Sultan  of  Turkey,  the 
spiritual  head  of  millions  of  Mohammedans, 
and  the  British  Government."^ 

This  attitude  of  Moslems  to-day  toward  Chris-  i"  P^rt  a 

1     -  Political 

tian  governments  is  sometimes  a  real  danger  to  scarecrow 
their  civilizing  efforts,  but  is  more  often  used 
by  Moslems  themselves  as  a  scarecrow  for  po- 
litical purposes.  And  then,  through  fear  of 
Moslem  fanaticism,  real  or  invented,  the  Chris- 
tian powers  of  Europe  grant  Islam  favors  and 
prestige  in  Asia  and  Africa  which  strict  neu- 
trality in  matters  of  religion  would  never  coun- 
tenance and  which  are  not  shown  to  the  Chris- 
tian faith. 

Here  are  some  striking  examples  of  this  short-  Resulting 
sighted     and     unchristian     policy.     In     West  ch^stian*^ 
Africa  the  British  Government  has  become  in-  interests 
volved   "in  backing  up   Islam  politically  and 
inevitably  religiously  also.     Repairing  broken- 
down  mosques    by  order,  subscriptions  to  Mo- 
hammedan    feasts,     forcible     circumcision     of 
heathen  soldiers  on  enlistment,  are  some  of  the 

*  Correspondence,  The  New  York  Sun,  June  20,  1906. 


I04  The  Moslem  World 

ways  in  which  the  general  trend  is  indicated." 
The  British  Government,  while  professing  to  be 
neutral,  hampers  Christian  missions,  but  allows 
Islam  freedom  to  proselytize.  In  Egypt  the 
British  Government  is  especially  favorable  to 
Mohammedan  interests  and  pays  undue  respect 
to  Moslem  prejudices  at  the  expense  of  Chris- 
tians. There  are  glaring  instances  of  injustice 
against  Christians  in  the  courts  which,  for  ex- 
ample, are  also  open  on  Sundays  and  closed  on 
Fridays.  When  the  Sacred  Kaswa,  or  covering 
for  the  Kaaba  at  Mecca,  leaves  Cairo,  or  returns, 
I  was  told  that  British  soldiers,  as  well  as  native 
infantry,  are  drawn  up  to  salute  it.  And  at  the 
Gordon  Memorial  College,  Khartum,  the  Bible 
has  no  place,  but  the  Koran  is  a  required  text- 
book, and  Friday  is  the  weekly  holiday.  If 
Moslems  could  be  won  over  to  loyalty  by  such 
favors  and  favoritism,  surely  Java  and  Sumatra 
would  be  an  example.  The  contrary  is  the  case. 
After  many  attempts  to  please  Moslems  and 
curry  their  favor  without  success,  the  Dutch 
government  has  now  wisely  changed  its  atti- 
tude. Christianity  now  finds  protection  and 
Islam  no  unfair  favors.  "Christian  chiefs  are 
given  a  share  in  judicial  administration,  so  as 
to  counteract  the  oppression  of  the  Moslems, 
and  Christian  missions  desiring  to  begin  work 
in  territories  still  pagan  or  threatened  with  Mo- 


View  of  the  Moslem  World  105 

hammedan    propaganda    are    assisted    by    the 
government-" 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  attitude  of  all  ^"^*"^^, 

Favorable 

European  govemrrients  will  become  more  and  to  Missions 
more    favorable    to    missions    among    Moslems 
when  they  realize  the  power  of  the  gospel  in 
upHfting    Moslem    society    and    transforming 
character. 


QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  IV 

Aim:   To  Estimate  the  Vastness  of  the  Problem 
AND  Its  Principal  Features 

1.  How  does  Islam  compare  with  Protestant  Chris- 
tianity in  the  number  of  its  adherents?  (Con- 
sult Strong's  Social  Progress,  1906,  or  similar 
authority.) 

2.  How  does  it  compare  in  the  variety  of  races 
that  profess  it? 

3.  In  what  ways  is  this  diversity  of  races  a  strength 
or  a  weakness  to  a  religion  that  aims  at  world 
conquest  ? 

4.  How  do  Islam  and  Protestant  Christianity  com- 
pare in  wealth? 

5.  How  do  they  compare  in  the  average  intelli- 
gence of  their  adherents? 


io6  The  Moslem  World 

6.  How,  for  a  world  campaign,  do  they  compare 
in  the  present  geographical  disposition  of  their 
forces  ? 

7.  How  do  they  compare  in  literary  resources? 

8.  How,  in  educational  resources? 

9.  Compare  the  missionary  motives  of  Christianity 
and  Islam. 

10.  How    do    they   compare    in    the    use   they    are 
making  of  their  resources? 

11.  How  do  they  compare  in  the  power  of  the  gov- 
ernments with  which  they  are  associated? 

12.  What  aid  does  Islam  derive  from  its  connection 
with  Moslem  governments? 

13.  What  are  the  disadvantages  of  this  political  con- 
nection? 

14.  What    aid    does    Christianity    derive    from    so- 
called  Christian  governments? 

15.  Give   arguments   in    favor   of   aid   to    Christian 
missions  by  Christian  governments. 

16.  Give  arguments  in  favor  of  absolute  religious 
neutrality. 

17.  Sum   up   the   advantages   that   Islam   has   over 
Christianity  for  world  conquest. 

18.  Sum   up  the   advantages   that   Christianity   has 
over  Islam. 

It).     What  do  you  consider  the  principal  difficulties 
in  the  evangelization  of  Island  ? 


View  of  the  Moslem  World  107 

20.  How  do  these  difficulties  compare  with  those  of 
a  hundred  years  ago? 

21.  How  have  the  resources  of  the  Christian  Church 
for  the  evangelization  of  Islam  increased  during 
the  last  century? 

22.  Indicate  the  probable  results  upon  the  Oriental 
world  of  the  Russo-Japanese  war. 

23.  How  would  you  reply  to  the  writer  of  the  state- 
ment on  page  98-101? 

24.  What  do  you  think  is  the  probable  political 
future  of  Islam? 

25.  In  view  of  the  present  condition  of  the  Moslem 
world,  what  general  recommendations  would 
you  make  for  its  evangelization? 

26.  Sum  up  the  present  claims  of  Islam  on  the 
Christian  Church. 


REFERENCES  FOR  ADVANCED  STUDY 
CHAPTER  IV 

General  View  of  the  Moslem  World} 

The  Mohammedan  World  of  To-Day.     Edited  by 
Drs.  Zwemer,  Wherry,  and  Barton. 

This  volume  contains  the  papers  read  at  the  First  Missionary 
Conference  on  behalf  of  the  Moslem  World,  *held  in  Cairo, 
Egypt,  April  4-9,  1906. 


1  The  three  volumes  indicated  contain  ample  information  re- 
rrarding  the  present  condition  of  the  Moslem  world.  For  statis- 
tics consiilt  Statistical  Abstract  Relating  to  British  India,  The  States- 
man's Year-Book,  Encyclopedia  of  Missions,  and  the  statistical 
tables  in  The  Mohammedan  World  of  To-Day. 


io8  The  Moslem  World 

Our  Moslem  Sisters.     Edited  by  Annie  Van  Som- 
mer  and  Samuel  M.  Zwemer. 

A  series  o£   papers  by   missionaries,  on    the   condition   of 
women  in  every  Moslem  land. 

Islam  and  Christianlt)^  In  the  Far  East.     By  E.  M. 
Wherry. 

An  up-to-date  account  of  Islam  in  India,  China,  and  Ma- 
laysia. 


SOCIAL  AND  MORAL  EVILS 
OF  ISLAM 


Mohammedanism  is  held,  by  many  who  have  to 
live  under  its  shadow,  to  be  the  most  degraded  re- 
ligion, morally,  in  the  world.  We  speak  of  it  as 
superior  to  the  other  religions,  because  of  its  mono- 
theistic faith,  but  I  would  rather  believe  in  ten  pure 
gods  than  in  one  God  who  would  have  for  his  supreme 
prophet  and  representative  a  man  with  Mohammed's 
moral  character.  Can  a  religion  of  immorality,  or 
moral  inferiority,  meet  the  needs  of  struggling  men? 

—Robert  E.  Speer 

But  if  ye  fear  that  ye  cannot  do  justice  between 
orphans,  then  marry  what  seems  good  to  you  of  women, 
by  twos,  or  threes,  or  fours ;  and  if  ye  fear  that  ye  cannot 
be  equitable,  then  only  one,  or  what  your  right  hands 
possess. 

— P aimer y  Qur'an,  IV,  71 

But  those  whose  perverseness  you  fear,  admonish 
them  and  remove  them  into  bedchambers  and  beat 
them. 

• — Palmer,  Qur'an,  IV,  77 

There  is  an  Impervious  bar  to  all  social  intercourse 

between  the  sexes  before  marriage Such  a 

marriage  is  more  than  a  lottery;  there  can  be  no  affec- 
tion to  begin  with,  and,  except  on  rare  occasions,  it  is 
not  likely  that  it  will  turn  out  to  be  really  happy.  If  it 
be  thoroughly  uncongenial,  a  man  tries  his  luck  once 
more  in  the  same  miserable  lottery,  and  for  his  own 
happiness,  and  probably  also  for  that  of  all  concerned, 
annuls  the  previous  bond.  Hence  pol^^gamy  implies 
freedom  of  divorce,  and  both  together  are  the  inevitable 
result  of  the  seclusion  of  the  female  sex.  But  to  abolish 
by  law  the  two  former  without  dealing  with  the  far 
more  fundamicntal  institution  which  is  its  root,  would 
be  to  carry  on  a  v/ar  with  symptoms  only,  and  to  intro- 
duce evils  worse  than  those  it  is  wished  to  prevent. 

— R.  Bosworth  Smith 


SOCIAL  AND  MORAL  EVILS  OF  ISLAM 

The  present  social  and  moral  condition  of  The  Law  of 
Mohammedan  lands  and  of  Moslems  in  all  lands  Effect  ^" 
is  not  such  as  it  is  in  spite  of,  but  because  of 
their  religion.  The  law  of  cause  and  effect  has 
operated  for  over  a  thousand  years  under  every 
possible  natural  and  political  environment, 
among  Semites,  Negroes,  Aryan  races,  and  Slavs. 
The  results  are  so  sadly  similar  that  they  form  a 
terrible  and  unanswerable  indictment  of  the 
social  and  moral  weakness  of  Islam^.  There  is  no 
better  proof  of  the  inadequacy  of  th^  religion  of 
Mohammed  than  a  study  of  the  present  intel- 
lectual, social,  and  moral  conditions  in  Moslem 
lands.  What  those  conditions  are  we  know 
from  the  testimony  of  travelers,  politicians,  and 
diplomats,  as  well  as  from  the  missionaries 
them  selves  o  The  purely  Mohammedan  lands 
like  Arabia,  Persia,  Morocco,  and  Afghanistan 
are  at  the  antipodes  of  civilization  after  thirteen 
centuries  of  Moslem  rule.  The  reason  for  it  is 
found  first  of  all  in  the  character  of  Mohammed 

22S 


112 


The  Moslem  World 


The  Low 

Ideal  of 
Character 
in  Islam 


Proof 


Mohammed's 
Treachery 


himself.     He  was  the  prophecy  as  well  as  the 
prophet  of  his  religion. 

A  stream  cannot  rise  higher  than  its  source; 
a  tower  cannot  be  broader  than  its  foundation. 
The  measure  of  the  moral  stature  of  Moham- 
med is  the  ideal  in  Islam.  His  conduct  is  the 
standard  of  character.  We  need  not  be  sur- 
prised, therefore,  that  the  ethical  standard  is  so 
low.  Raymund  Lull,  the  first  missionary  to 
Moslems,  used  to  show  in  his  bold  preaching 
that  Mohammed  had  none  of  the  seven  cardi- 
nal virtues  and  was  guilty  of  the  seven  deadly 
sins;  he  doubtless  went  too  far.  But  it  would 
not  be  difficult  to  show  that  pride,  lust,  envy, 
and  anger  were  prominent  traits  in  the  prophet's 
character.  To  read  the  pages  of  Muir  or  Koelle 
or  Sprenger  is  convincing. 

The  following  instances,  taken  from  Koelle's 
Mohammed  and  Mohammedanism^,  are  sufficient 
proof: 

"The  first  to  fall  as  victims  of  Mohammed's 
vengeance  were  some  individuals  of  the  Jewish 
persuasion  who  had  made  themselves  obnoxious 
above  others  by  attacking  him.  in  verse.  He  man- 
aged to  produce  an  impression  amongst  the  peo- 
ple that  he  would  like  to  be  rid  of  them.  The 
hint  was  readily  taken  up  by  persons  anxious  to 
ingratiate  themselves  in  the  prophet's  favor.  The 
»  p.  269. 


Social  and  Moral  Evils  113 

gifted  woman,  Asma,  and  the  hoary  poet,  Abu 
Afak,  were  both  murdered  in  their  sleep:  the 
former  while  slumbering  on  her  bed,  with  an 
infant  in  her  arms;  the  latter  whilst  lying,  for 
coolness'  sake,  in  an  open  veranda.  No  one 
dared  to  molest  the  assassin  of  either  of  these 
victims ;  for  it  was  no  secret  that  the  foul  deeds 
had  been  approved  by  the  prophet,  and  that  he 
had  treated  the  perpetrators  with  marked 
favor." 

Another  instance  is  as  follows:  "One  of  their  His 
more  influential  Rabbis  was  Kab  Ibn  Ashraf , 
who  had  looked  favorably  upon  Mohammed, 
till  he  changed  the  Kibla  from  Jerusalem  to 
Mecca.  Then  he  became  his  decided  opponent, 
attacking  him  and  his  religion  in  verse,  and 
working  against  him  in  various  ways.  He  was 
first  to  fall  as  a  victim  to  Mohammed's  vindic- 
tiveness.  The  prophet  despatched  four  men, 
amongst  them  Kab's  own  foster-brother,  to 
assassinate  him,  and  sanctioned  beforehand  any 
lie  or  stratagem  which  they  might  see  fit  to 
employ,  so  as  to  lure  him  aside.  It  was  dark 
when  they  arrived  at  his  house,  and  he  was  al- 
ready in  bed ;  but  they  cunningly  prevailed  upon 
him  to  come  out  to  them,  and  when  they  had 
him  alone  in  the  dark  they  foully  murdered  him. 
Mohammed  remained  up  to  await  their  return; 
and  when  they  showed  him  Kab's  head,  he  com- 


114  The  Moslem  World 

mended  their  deed,  and  praised  Allah.  But  on 
the  following  morning,  when  the  assassination 
had  become  generally  known,  the  Jews,  as  Ibn 
Ishak  informs  us,  were  struck  with  terror,  and 
none  of  them  regarded  his  life  safe  any  longer."^ 
Lying  And  to  take  another  example,  what  did  Mo- 

hammed teach  regarding  truthfulness?  There 
are  two  authenticated  sayings  of  his  given  in 
the  traditions  on  the  subject  of  lying:  "When 
a  servant  of  God  tells  a  lie,  his  guardian  angels 
move  away  to  the  distance  of  a  mile  because  of 
the  badness  of  its  smell."  That  seems  a  char- 
acteristic denunciation;  but  the  other  saying 
contradicts  it:  ''Verily  a  lie  is  allowable  in  three 
cases — ^to  women,  to  reconcile  friends,  and  in 
war."  The  assassinations  also  of  his  political  and 
religious  opponents,  frequently  directed  as  they 
were  in  all  their  cruel  and  perfidious  details  by 
Mohammed  himself,  leaves  a  dark  and  indelible 
blot  upon  his  character.  With  such  a  prophet 
it  is  no  wonder  that  among  his  followers  and 
imitators  "truth-telling  is  one  of  the  lost  arts," 
and  that  perjury  is  too  common  to  be  noticed. 
Since  Mohammed  gathered  ideas  and  stories 
from  the  Jews  of  Medina  and  palmed  them  off 
as  a  new  revelation  from  God,  it  is  no  wonder 
that  Arabian  literature  teems  with  all  sorts  of 
plagiarisms,  or  that  one  of  the  early  authorities 

1  Ibid.,  p.  179. 


Social  and  Moral  Evils  115 

of  Islam  laid  down  the  canon  that  it  is  justifiable 
to  lie  in  praise  of  the  prophet.  In  regard  to  the 
Mohammedans  of  Persia,  Dr.  St.  Clair  Tisdall 
says:  ''Lying  has  been  elevated  to  the  dignity 
of  a  fine  art,  owing  to  the  doctrine  of  Kitman- 
tid-din,  or  religious  deception,  which  is  held  by 
the  Shiah  religious  community.'' 

Mohammed  was  apparently  confused  as  to  the  ^^^^"^  *°**  *^® 

^  ^  •'  Dscalogue 

number  and  character  of  the  commandments 
given  Moses.  "A  Jew  came  to  the  prophet  and 
asked  him  about  the  nine  wonders  which  ap- 
peared by  the  hand  of  Moses.  The  prophet 
said:  "Do  not  associate  anything  with  God,  do 
not  steal,  do  not  commit  adultery,  do  not  kill, 
do  not  take  an  innocent  before  the  king  to  be 
killed,  do  not  practise  magic,  do  not  take  in- 
terest, do  not  accuse  an  innocent  woman  of 
adultery,  do  not  run  away  in  battle,  and  espe- 
cially for  you,  O  Jews,  do  not  work  on  the 
Sabbath." 

The  lax  and  immoral  interpretation  by  Mos-  Laxinter- 
lem  theologians  of  the  Third,  Sixth,  Seventh,  command- 
Eighth,  and  Ninth  commandments  of  the  deca-  "^®°*^ 
logue  are  very  evident.     But  that  interpretation 
is  based  on  the  Koran  itself,  which  is  full  of  the 
vain  use   of  God's  name  and  needless  oaths, 
which  permits  murder  in  jahad  or  religious  war, 
which  allows  polygamy,  divorce,  and  the  capture 
of  slaves. 


ii6 


The  Moslem  World 


Polygamyj 
Divorce,  and 
Slavery 


Legal  Status 
of  Women 


There  are  certain  evils  which  the  Moslem 
religion  allows  of  which  it  is  also  necessary  to 
write.  They  exist  not  in  spite  of  Islam,  but 
because  of  Islam  and  because  of  the  teaching 
of  its  Sacred  Book.  These  social  evils  are  so 
closely  intertwined  with  the  whole  system  that 
they  can  never  be  wholly  abandoned  without 
doing  violence  to  the  teaching  of  the  Koran  and 
the  example  of  Mohammed.  In  Moslem  books 
of  theology,  jurisprudence,  and  ethics  there  are 
long  chapters  on  each  of  these  subjects.  Nor 
can  there  be  the  least  doubt  that  polygamy  and 
slavery  have  had  a  tremendous  power  in  the 
spread  and  grasp  of  Islam.  It  is  the  testimony 
of  history  that  the  slave-traders  of  Zanzibar 
were  also  the  missionaries  of  Islam,  in  Africa; 
and  the  last  census  report  of  Bengal  states  that 
the  increase  of  the  Mohammedan  population 
there  is  due,  not  to  conversions  from  Hinduism, 
but  to  polygamy  and  concubinage  as  open  doors 
into  a  higher  caste  for  submerged  Hindu  woman- 
hood. The  loose  moral  code  of  Islam  has  ever 
been  an  attraction  to  the  pagan  tribes  of  Africa 
and  Asia  over  against  the  demands  of  the  gospel 
and  the  law  of  Christ.  Morally,  Islam  is  an 
easy-going  religion. 

It  is  impossible  to  give  here,  even  in  outline, 
the  true  character,  extent,  and  effect  of  these 
three  "religious  institutions"  of  Islam.     A  Mos- 


OuTDOOti  Dk>f..^s  Oh  Egyptian  WOMAN' 


L 


'«r^ 


Social  and  Moral  Evils  117 

lem  who  lives  up  to  his  privileges  and  who 
follows  the  example  of  "the  saints"  in  his  calen- 
dar can  have  four  wives  and  any  number  of 
slave-concubines;  can  divorce  at  his  pleasure; 
he  can  Temarry  his  divorced  wives  by  a  special 
though  abominable  arrangement;  and,  in  addi- 
tion to  all  this,  if  he  belong  to  the  Shiah  sect  he 
can  contract  marriages  for  pleasure  (Metaa'), 
which  are  temporary,  "The  very  chapter  in 
the  Mohammedan  Bible  which  deals  with  the 
legal  status  of  woman,"  says  Mr.  Robert  E. 
Speer,  "and  which  provides  that  every  Mo- 
hammedan may  have  four  legal  wives  and 
as  many  concubines  or  slave  girls  as  his  right 
hand  can  hold,  goes  by  the  title  in  the 
Koran  itself  of  The  Cow'";  and  in  Turkey 
the  word  cow  is  actually  applied  to  women  by 
the  Moslems. 

The  degrading  views  held  as  regards  the  Marriage 
whole  maiTiage  relation  are  summed  up  by  slavery 
Ghazzali  when  he  says:  "  Marriage  is  a  kind  of 
slavery,  for  the  wife  becomes  the  slave  (rakeek) 
of  her  husband,  and  it  is  her  duty  absolutely 
to  obey  him  in  everything  he  requires  of  her 
except  in  what  is  contrary  to  the  laws  of  Islam." 
Wife-beating  is  allowed  by  the  Koran,  and  the 
method  and  limitations  are  explained  by  the 
laws  of  religion.  It  is  very  common  in  Arabia 
and  Persia = 


ii8  The  Moslem  World 

Arabia,  the  cradle  of  Islam,  is  still  a  center 
of  the  slave-trade,  and,  according  to  the  Koran, 
slavery  and  the  slave-trade  are  divine  institu- 
tions. Some  Moslem  apologists  of  the  present 
day  contend  that  Mohammed  looked  upon  the 
custom  as  temporary  in  its  nature;  but  slavery 
is  so  interwoven  with  the  laws  of  marriage,  of 
sale,  of  inheritance,  and  with  the  whole  social 
fabric,  that  its  abolition  strikes  at  the  founda- 
tions of  their  legal  code.  Whenever  and  wher- 
ever Moslem  rulers  have  agreed  to  the  abolition 
or  suppression  of  the  slave-trade  they  have  acted 
contrary  to  the  privileges  of  their  religion  in 
consenting  to  obey  the  laws  of  humanity.  From 
the  Koran  ^  we  learn  that  all  male  and  female 
slaves  taken  as  plunder  in  war  are  the  lawful 
property  of  the  master,  that  the  master  has 
power  to  take  to  himself  any  female  slave, 
either  married  or  single,  as  his  chattel;  that  the 
position  of  a  slave  is  as  helpless  as  that  of  the 
stone  idols  of  old  Arabia;  and  that,  while  a  man 
can  do  as  he  pleases  with  his  property,  slaves 
should  be  treated  kindly  and  granted  freedom 
when  able  to  purchase  it.  Slave-traffic  is  not 
only  allowed,  but  legislated  for  by  Moham- 
medan law  and  made  sacred  by  the  example  of 
the  prophet.  In  Moslem  books  of  law  the  same 
rules  apply  to  the  sale  of  animals  and  slaves. 

1  Suras  4:3;  28:40;  23:49;  16:77;  30:27;  24:33,  etc. 


Social  arxd  Moral  Evils  119 

In  1898  the  late  J.  Theodore  Bent  wrote  fJ^J^*;*'^^* 
respecting  the  slave-trade  in  the  Red  Sea:  "The  Redsea 
west  coast  of  the  Red  Sea  is  in  portions  still 
much  given  to  slave-trading.  From  Suez  down 
to  Ras  Benas  the  coast  is  pretty  well  protected 
by  governm.ent  boats,  which  cruise  about  and 
seize  dhows  suspected  of  traffic  in  himian  flesh, 
but  south  of  this,  until  the  area  of  Suakim  is 
reached,  slave-trading  is  still  actively  carried 
on.  The  transport  is  done  in  dhows  from  the 
Arabian  coast,  which  come  over  to  the  coral 
reefs  of  the  w^estern  side  ostensibly  for  pearl 
fishing.  At  certain  seasons  of  the  year  slave- 
traders  in  caravans  come  down  from  the  dervish 
territory  in  the  Nile  valley,  and  the  petty  Be- 
douin sheiks  on  the  Red  Sea  littoral  connive  at 
and  assist  them  in  the  work." 

Dr.  Hurgronje,  the  Diitch  traveler,  describes  siave.„,arket 

o         J    '  xn  Mecca 

the  public  slave  market  at  Mecca  in  full  swing 
every  day  during  his  visit.  It  is  located  near 
the  holy  mosque,  and  open  to  everybody.  Al- 
though he  himself  apologizes  for  the  traffic, 
and  calls  the  antislavery  crusade  a  swindle,  he 
yet  confesses  to  all  the  horrible  details. 

The  explorer,  Charles  M.  Doughty,  who  spent  gJ'^^J'/^^^'^' °^ 
years  in  the  interior  of  Arabia,  wrote:  "Jiddah  jiddah 
is  the  staple  town  of  African  slavery  for  the 
Turkish  empire;  Jiddah,   where   are   Prankish 
consuls.     But  you  shall  find   these    worthies, 


I20  The  Moslem  World 

in  the  pallid  solitude  of  their  palaces,  affecting 
(great  heaven!)  the  simplicity  of  new-born 
babes;  they  v/ill  tell  you  they  are  not  aware  of 
it!  .  .  .  But  I  say  again  in  your  ingenuous  ears, 
Jiddah  is  the  staple  town  of  the  Turkish  slavery, 
or  all  the  Moslems  are  liars.  ...  I  told  them  we 
had  a  treaty  with  the  Sultan  to  suppress  slav- 
ery. **Dog,"  cries  the  fellow,  ''thou  liar — are 
there  not  thousands  of  slaves  in  Jiddah  that 
every  day  are  bought  and  sold?  Wherefore, 
thou  dog,  be  they  not  all  made  free  if  thou 
sayest  sooth?" 
A  Slave-  Here  is  a  sketch  of  the  slave-market  at  Mecca, 

within  a  stone's  throw  of  "the  house  of  God," 
at  the  center  of  the  Moslem  world:  "Go  there 
and  see  for  yourself  the  condition  of  the  human 
chattels  you  purchase.  You  will  find  them, 
thanks  to  the  vigilance  of  British  cruisers,  less 
numerous  and  consequently  more  expensive 
than  they  were  in  former  years ;  but  there  they 
are,  flung  pell-mell  in  the  open  square.  .  .  .  The 
dealer,  standing  by,  cried  out:  'Come  and  buy; 
the  first-fruits  of  the  season,  delicate,  fresh,  and 
green;  come  and  buy,  strong  and  useful,  faith- 
ful and  honest.  Come  and  buy.'  The  day  of 
sacrifice  was  past  and  the  richer  pilgrims  in 
their  brightest  robes  gathered  around.  One 
among  them  singled  out  the  girl.  They  entered 
a  booth  together.    The  mother  was  left  behind. 


Social  and  Moral  Evils  121 

Soon  after  the  girl  came  back.  And  the  dealer, 
when  the  bargain  was  over,  said  to  the  pur- 
chaser: 'I  sell  you  this  property  of  mine,  the 
female  slave.  Narcissus,  for  the  sum  of  forty 
pounds.'  Thus  the  bargain  was  chnched.  .  .  . 
Men  slaves  could  be  bought  for  sums  varying 
from  fifteen  pounds  to  forty  pounds.  The  chil- 
dren in  arms  were  sold  with  their  mothers,  an 
act  of  mercy;  but  those  that  could  feed  them- 
selves had  to  take  their  chance.  More  often 
than  not  they  were  separated  from  their  mothers, 
which  gave  rise  to  scenes  which  many  a  sym- 
pathetic pilgrim  would  willingly  forget  if  he 
could."^ 

The  illiteracy  of  the  Mohammedan  world  illiteracy 
to-day  is  as  surprising  as  it  is  appaUing.  One 
would  think  that  a  reHgion  which  almost  wor- 
ships its  Sacred  Book,  and  which  was  once  mis- 
tress of  science  and  literature,  would  in  its 
onward  sweep  have  enhghtened  the  nations. 
But  facts  are  stubborn  things.  Careful  inves- 
tigations show^  that  seventy-five  to  one  hundred 
per  cent,  of  the  Moslems  in  Africa  are  unable 
to  read  or  write.  In  TripoH  ninety  per  cent,  are 
illiterate;  in  Egypt,  eighty-eight  per  cent.;  in 
Algeria,  over  ninety  per  cent.  In  Turkey  con- 
ditions have  greatly  improved  and  iUiteracy  is 

1  Hadji  Khan,  With  the  Pilgrims  to  Mecca  :  The  Great  Pilgrimage 
of  A.  H.  131Q  (  1902),  306-308. 


122  The  Moslem  World 

not  above  forty  per  cent.,  while  of  women  it  is 
estimated  as  under  sixty  per  cent.  In  Arabia 
there  has  been  scant  intellectual  progress  since 
the  time  of  Mohammed.  The  Bedouins  are 
nearly  all  illiterate,  and  in  spite  of  the  attempt 
of  Turkish  officials  to  open  schools,  there  is 
little  that  deserves  the  name  of  education,  even 
in' the  large  towns.  Persia  now  has  a  constitu- 
tion, but  it  has  no  national  system  of  education, 
and  ninety  per  cent,  of  the  population  are  illiter- 
ate. In  Baluchistan,  according  to  the  British 
census,  only  117  per  1,000  of  the  Mohammedan 
men  and  only  23  per  1,000  among  the  women 
can  read.  But  the  most  surprising,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  most  accurate  statistics  of 
illiteracy  are  those  of  India.  According  to  the 
last  census,  the  total  of  illiterates  among  the 
62,458,077  Mohammedans  of  India  is  the  enor- 
mous figure  of  59,674,499,  or  about  96  per  cent. 
Such  wide-spread  illiteracy  in  all  lands,  and  es- 
pecially prevalent  among  Moslem  women,  results 
in  every  sort  of  superstition  in  the  home-life  and 
among  the  lower  and  middle  classes.  Even 
among  the  leaders  of  education  modern  science 
is  despised  or  feared,  and  everything  turns,  on 
the  Ptolemaic  system,  round  the  little  world  of 
the  Koran.  Jinn  are  exorcised ;  witches  and  the 
evil-eye  avoided  by  amulets  and  talismans; 
alchemy  and  astrology  are  diligently  studied; 


O'  iQr 


o 


^ ^ 


''C:::—^- 


r 


^m 


0L 


MOSLEM  DAY  SCHOOL.  TUNIS 


AMERICAN  COLLEGE  FOR  GIRLS, 
CONSTANTINOPLE.TURKEY.  CLASS  IN  BIOLOGY 


a 


a 


I-I 


1    I  LJ 


Social  and  Moral  Evils  123 

and  all  sorts  of  quackery  and  bigotry  flourish  in 
the  soil  of  ignorance. 

The  system  of  education  at  Mecca  is  typical  system  of 
of  that  in  all  Moslem  lands  not  yet  influenced 
by  Western  civilization  and  governments.  The 
youth  learn  to  read  the  Koran,  not  to  under- 
stand its  meaning,  but  to  drone  it  out  profes- 
sionally at  funerals  and  feasts,  so  many  chap- 
ters for  so  many  shekels.  Modern  science  or 
history  is  not  even  mentioned,  much  less 
taught,  in  the  high  schools  of  Mecca.  Grammar, 
prosody,  Arabian  history  and  the  first  elements 
of  arithmetic,  but  chiefly  the  Koran  commen- 
taries and  traditions,  form  the  curriculum,  of  the 
Mohammedan  college.  The  method  of  teaching 
in  the  schools  of  Mecca,  which  can  be  taken  as 
an  example  of  the  best  that  Arabia  affords,  is 
as  follows: 

The  child  of  intellectual  promise  is  first  taught  Method  and 
the  alphabet  from  a  small  v/ooden  board  on  EducTtio°n 
which  the  letters  are  written  by  the  teacher; 
slates  are  unknown.  Then  he  learns  the  Ahjad 
or  numerical  value  of  each  letter — a  useless 
proceeding  at  present,  as  the  Arabic  notation, 
originally  from  India,  is  everywhere  in  use. 
After  this  he  learns  to  write  down  the  ninety- 
nine  names  of  Allah  and  to  read  the  first  chap- 
ter of  the  Koran;  then  he  attacks  the  last  two 
chapters,  because  they  are  short.    The  teacher 


124 


The  Moslem  World 


The  Social 
Bankruptcy 
of  Islam 


Verdict  of 
the  Bedouins 


Failure  of 
Islam 


next  urges  him  through  the  book,  making  the 
pupil  read  at  the  top  of  his  voice.  The  greatest 
strictness  is  observed  as  to  pronunciation  and 
pauses,  but  nothing  whatever  is  said  to  explain 
the  meaning  of  the  words.  Having  thus  fin- 
ished the  Koran,  that  is,  read  it  through  once, 
the  pupil  takes  up  the  elements  of  grammar. 
Then  follow  the  liberal  sciences,  logic,  arith- 
metic, some  algebra,  rhetoric  and  versification, 
jurisprudence,  scholastic  theology,  exegesis  of 
the  Koran,  and  the  Moslem  traditions. 

A  system  forever  handicapped  in  any  effort 
toward  social  progress  by  the  incubus  of  such 
gigantic  social  evils  and  general  ignorance  could 
not  escape  social  bankruptcy. 

It  has  often  been  asserted  that  Islam  is  the 
proper  religion  for  Arabia.  The  miserable,  half- 
starved,  ignorant  but  canny  Bedouins  now  say: 
"Mohammed's  religion  can  never  have  been  in- 
tended for  us;  it  demands  ablution,  but  we 
have  no  water;  fasting,  but  we  always  fast; 
almsgiving,  but  v/e  have  no  money;  pilgrimage, 
but  Allah  is  everywhere." 

Islam  has  had  a  fair  trial  in  other  than 
desert  lands.  For  five  hundred  years  it 
has  been  supreme  in  Turkey,  the  fairest 
and  richest  portion  of  the  Old  World.  And 
what  is  the  result?  The  Mohammedan  popu- 
lation has  decreased;  the  treasury  is  bankrupt; 


Social  and  Moral  Evils  125 

the  progress  is  blocked;  "instead  of  wealth, 
universal  poverty;  instead  of  comeliness,  rags; 
instead  gf  commerce,  beggary — a  failure  greater 
and  more  absolute  than  history  can  elsewhere 
present."  In  regard  to  what  Islam  has  done 
and  can  do  in  Africa,  the  recent  testimony  of 
Canon  Robinson  is  conclusive.  Writing  of  Mo- 
hammedanism in  the  central  Sudan,  he  says: 

"Moreover,  if  it  be  true,  as  it  probably  is  to  Progress  up 
some  extent,  that  Mohammedanism  has  helped 
forward  the  Hausas  in  the  path  of  civilization, 
the  assistance  rendered  here,  as  in  every  other 
country  subject  to  Mohammedan  rule,  is  by  no 
means  an  unmixed  good.  Mohammedan  prog- 
ress is  progress  up  an  impasse;  it  enables  con- 
verts to  advance  a  certain  distance,  only  to 
check  their  further  progress  by  an  impassable 
wall  of  blind  prejudice  and  ignorance." 

There  is  a  brighter  side  to  this  dark  picture  of  '^^^ 
the  present  social  conditions  in  the  Moham-  Awakening 
medan  world.  The  day-dawn  of  an  intellectual 
awakening  has  come  in  S3^ria,  Egypt,  India, 
Algeria,  Persia,  and  other  lands.  Those  rela- 
tively few  Moslems  who  received  a  liberal  edu- 
cation in  government  or  mission  schools,  or 
who  became  enamored  with  Western  civiliza- 
tion, have  revolted  against  the  old  Islam.  This 
clash  of  modern  life  and  thought  with  medie- 
valism gave  birth  to  the  new  Islam.     Though 


126  The  Moslem  World 

called  by  different  names  in  India,  the  Levant, 
and  Egypt,  the  cause  and  effect  of  the  movement 
are  the  same.  The  leadership  and  initiative 
in  India  belong  to  Sir  Saiyad  Ahmed  Khan  of 
Aligarh.  After  a  period  of  government  service 
and  a  visit  to  England  in  1.870,  he  began  by 
editing  a  journal  called  The  Reform  of  Morals. 
In  1878  he  started  an  Anglo- Mohammedan 
College  at  Aligarh,  which  has  since,  through 
gifts  of  educated  Moslems  and  government  as- 
sistance, become  the  Mohammedan  University 
for  all  India.  In  1886  he  began  an  annual 
educational  conference  for  the  Mohammedans 
of  India.  Sir  Saiyad  Ahmed  also  wrote  a  com- 
mentary on  the  Bible,  which  has  doubtless 
helped  to  bring  some  educated  Moslems  to  a 
more  intelligent  view  of  the  real  character  and 
integrity  of  the  Christian  Scriptures.  But  the 
attempt  to  rationalize  Islam  and  give  it  new 
life,  by  a  broad  interpretation  of  its  theology, 
has  failed.  Competent  observers  in  India  state 
that  "the  movement  has  practically  lapsed  into 
a  sort  of  social  and  political  reform,"  and  that 
"just  at  present  there  is  a  marked  inclination, 
even  among  educated  Moslems,  mainly  to  drift 
back  to  the  old  school  of  thought.'*  The  in- 
stitution at  Aligarh,  however,  now  contains  340 
students  in  the  college  department  and  364  in 
the  preparatory  school.     But  the  tone  of  the 


Social  and  Moral  Evils  127 

college  is  agnostic  rather  than  Moslem  and 
secular  rather  than  reUgious.  Tliis  was  the 
testimony  given  me  by  the  two  resident  pro- 
fessors of  Moslem  theology  when  I  visited  the 
college  in  1902,  and  was  also  my  own  impression 
after  meeting  the  students. 

In  Egypt  also  there  is  an  intellectual  awaken-  intellectual 
ing.  The  late  hberal-minded  mufti  at  Cairo  tJ^igyT^ 
attempted  to  reform  Islam  and  deprecated  the 
ignorance  and  bigotry  of  his  coreligionists.  He 
tried  to  bring  order  out  of  chaos  in  the  Al  Azhar 
University,  both  in  its  material  affairs  and  its 
method  of  instruction.  A  great  impetus  was 
given  to  education  through  his  efforts.  Book 
and  tract  societies  were  started.  He  even  at- 
tempted to  reform  the  Moslem  courts  of  lav/» 
vvhich  are  notoriously  corrupt.  But  whether 
the  measures  he  initiated  will  be  fruitful  of  per- 
manent result  is  very  doubtful. 

Yet  the  printing-press  is  carrying  these  calls  Notable 
for  reform  and  preaching  a  new  Islam  v/herever  '^  °^"^* 
Moslem  journals  of  this  type  find  readers.  In 
Persia  new  dailies  are  springing  into  existence 
and  preaching  political  and  social  reform.  One 
of  them  is  entitled  The  Trumpet  of  Gabriel  and 
has  on  its  title-page  a  picture  of  dead  Persians 
awakening  to  the  trumpet  blast  of  an  angel 
with  the  superscription,  *' Liberty,  Equahty, 
and  Fraternity.** 


128 


The  Moslem  World 


Contact  with 

Modern 

Thought 


A  Crisis 


Wherever  Moslems  come  into  touch  with  the 
non-Moslem  world  of  the  West  and  its  politics 
and  commerce,  or  through  Christian  missions, 
there  follows  the  inevitable  conflict  between 
the  old  and  the  new  in  the  minds  of  those  who 
dare  to  think  for  themselves.  Dr.  William  A. 
Shedd  points  out  that  Islam  to-day  must  meet 
a  new  crisis  in  its  history.  "It  is  coming  into 
close  contact  with  modem  thought  and  civ- 
ilization. It  must  meet  these  changed  condi- 
tions if  it  is  to  live,  and  the  question  arises 
whether  it  can  do  this  or  not.'* 

That  the  Mohammedans  themselves  are  con- 
scious of  this  crisis  in  their  religious  outlook  is 
evident  from  the  press  and  the  platform  wher- 
ever these  two  blessings  of  a  Christian  civiliza- 
tion obtain  in  the  Mohammedan  world.  The 
following  words,  spoken  by  Mustapha  Pasha 
Kami!  of  Egypt,  the  leader  of  the  anti-EngHsh 
movement  on  the  Nile,  before  the  Pan-Islamic 
Society,  of  London,  in  July,  1906,  are  an  illustra- 
tion: "Tell  the  people  who  live  the  life  of  ani- 
mals and  are  led  Hke  dumb  driven  cattle,  Awake ! 
and  realize  the  true  significance  of  life.  Fill 
the  earth  and  adorn  it  with  results  of  your 
labors.  Gentlemen,  you  alone  can  make  them 
understand  the  full  meaning  of  life;  nay,  you 
alone  can  give  them  life.  Hasten,  therefore, 
with   your   medicine.      O   physicians,   the   pa- 


Social  and  Moral  Evils  129 

tient  is  in    a    critical   state,   and  delay   spells 
death. 

"The  malady  of  the  Moslem  nations  is  twofold,  a  Twofold 
One  I  have  already  alluded  to,  the  other  is  the 
absurd  belief  of  milHons  of  people  that  devo- 
tion to  Islam  is  incompatible  with  progress  and 
enlightenment.  They  say  that  our  death  is 
more  profitable  to  mankind  than  our  life.  The 
contemplation  of  this  fills  the  heart  of  every 
educated  Moslem  and  every  cultured  Oriental 
"with  sorrow.  It  is  no  use  referring  them  to  the 
glorious  pages  of  our  past  history.  It  is  no  use 
pointing  out  to  them  that  we  owe  allegiance 
to  a  liberal  faith,  which  enjoins  upon  us  the 
search  of  knowledge  from  the  cradle  to  the 
grave.  Our  decline  and  fall  and  present  degra- 
dation is  living  proof  contradicting  your  asser- 
tion. You  must  prove  it  by  deeds  and  not  by 
mere  words.  The  march  of  events  and  vicissi- 
tudes in  the  world  has  proved  that  the  strong 
current  of  science  and  knowledge  alone  can  give 
us  life  and  sovereign  power.  Those  who  march 
with  the  current  arrive  at  the  harbor  of  salva- 
tion.   Those  w^ho  go  against  it  are  doomed." 

Will  it  be  possible  **to  march  with  the  cur-  where  win 
rent"  and  continue  to  hold  the  teaching  of  the  peace? 
Koran  and  the  Traditions?     The  present  con- 
dition of  the  Mohammedan  world  answers  that 
question   emphatically  in  the  negative.     And 


130  The  Moslem  World 

■will  "marching  with  the  current  of  science  and 
knowledge"  after  all  ever  give  the  weary,  sinful, 
sorrovv^ing  millions  of  Islam  spiritual  peace  or 
lift  Mohammedan  womanhood  and  manhood  out 
of  their  degradation  into  the  glorious  inheritance 
of  the  sons  of  God? 


QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  V 
Aim:  To  Estimate  the  Social  Weaknesses  of  Islam 

1.  Give  some  of  the  principal  social  teachings  of 
Christ. 

2.  Mention  some  of  his  teachings  by  word  and 
example  in  regard  to  women. 

3.  On  what  ideas  as  to  the  relation  of  each  indi- 
vidual to  God  were  his  teachings  based? 

4.  Name  the  principal  things  that  you  think  Chris- 
tian society  owes  to  his  example. 

5.  Compare  what  you  know  of  the  social  teaching 
and  example  of  Mohammed  with  that  of  Christ. 

6.  Compare  his  teaching  and  example  in  regard  to 
women  with  that  of  Christ. 

7.  What  has  Cliristianlty  gained  from  the  freedom 
it  has  given  to  woman? 

8.  What  would  be  the  effect  upon  society  of  exalt- 
ing the  idea  of  the  power  of  God  above  that  of 
his  love? 


Social  and  Moral  Evils  131 

9.  What  has  been  the  effect  upon  the  Moslem 
world  of  the  fact  that  Mohammed  became  a 
political  legislator  during  his  life? 

10.  What  is  the  relative  fitness  of  his  social  teach- 
ings for  the  7th  century  and  the  20th? 

11.  What  do  you  consider  to  be  the  principal  evils 
of  polygamy? 

12.  What  things  do  you  think  we  would  most  miss 
in  being  brought  up  as  a  child  in  a  polygamous 
Oriental  household? 

13.  What  are  the  practical  evils  of  loose  laws  re- 
garding divorce? 

14.  What  ideas  as  to  marriage  does  easy  divorce 
encourage? 

15.  Why  is  slavery  opposed  to  the  spirit  of  Chris- 
tianity? 

16.  In  what  way  does  slavery  tend  to  lower  the 
slave  ? 

17.  In  what  ways,  the  master? 

18.  What  is  there  in  the  spirit  of  Christianity  that 
has   welcomed   education  ? 

19.  What  would  it  mean  socially  for  this  country 
if  Islam  should  obtain  control? 

20.  What  would  it  mean  for  other  nations  if  Islam 
became  the  dominant  power  in  the  world? 

21.  How  far  do  you  think  educational  reform  would 
be  possible  in  Islam? 

22.  How  far  would  social  reform  be  possible? 

23.  Can  you  suggest  any  way  by  which  Islam  can 
escape  from  the  social  teachings  of  Mohammed? 


132  The  Moslem  World 

24.  What  has  the  Moslem  world  to  gain  socially  by 
exchanging  Mohammed  for  Christ? 

25.  In  view  of  this  and  of  the  extent  of  the  Moslem 
world,  how  would  you  rank  it  in  importance 
among  the  issues  that  face  the  Christian  Church 
to-day  ? 


REFERENCES  FOR  ADVANCED  STUDY 
CHAPTER  V 

I.     Polygamy. 

Ameer  AH :  The  Life  and  Teachings  of  Mohammed, 

XIII. 
Dwight :     Constantinople    and     Its    Problems,    62, 

loi,  104. 
Hughes :   A  Dictionary  of  Islam,   462-464. 
Van   Sommer  and  Zwemer:    Our  Moslem   Sisters, 

79,  80,  193. 
Zwemer:    The    Mohammedan    World    of    To-Day, 

25,  48,  57,  82. 

II.     Education. 

Hughes:  A  Dictionary  of  Islam,  106-1080 
Watson:  Egypt  and  the  Christian  Crusade,  47,  48. 
Wherry:   Islam  and  Christianity  in  the  Far  East, 

44,  98,  102,  109. 
Zwemer :    The    Mohammedan    World    of    To-Day, 

Z2>,  48,  57,  87,  109,  117,  137,  284. 

III.    Slavery. 

Ameer  AH :  The  Life  and  Teachings  of  Mohammed, 
XIV. 


Social  and  Moral  Evils  133 

Blyden:   Christianity,  Islam,  and  the  Negro  Race. 

Hughes:  A  Dictionary  of  Islam,  596-600. 

Koelle:  Mohammed  and  Mohammedanism,  82,  138, 

177,  178,  508-510. 
Zwemer:    The    Mohammedan    World    of    To-Day, 

57,  138,  283. 
Missionary    Review    of    the    World,    June,     1899, 

423-429. 

IV.     Reforms. 

Wherry:   Islam  and  Christianity  in  the  Far  East, 

174,  175,  186,  188. 
Zwemer:    The    Mohammedan    World    of    To-Day, 

33,  68,  147. 


THE  STORY  OF  MISSIONS 
TO  MOSLEMS 


Another  lesson  learned  is  the  need  of  a  great  sympa- 
thetic heart  which  will  consider  the  position  of  the 
Moslem,  and  honor  him  for  his  manly  defense  of  what  hs 
believes  to  be  true.  A  heart  which  v/ill  acknowledge 
the  truth  taught  in  the  Quran  and  the  literature  of 
Islam. 

— E.  M.  Wherry 

It  is  very  important  in  addressing  Mohammedans  to 
avoid  giving  offense.  They  are  naturally  fanatical, 
frequently^  they  hold  their  faith  with  a  tenacity  which 

is  proportionate  to  their  ignorance  of  it 

Who  has  not  heard  of  workers  who  are  absolutely  care- 
less of  the  danger  of  giving  offense,  who  even  deliber- 
ately say  things  which  will  rouse  the  animosity  of  their 
audience.  They  seem  to  think  that  they  have  not 
preached  faithfully  unless  they  have  made  an  onslaught 
on  some  article  of  the  Moslem  creed  or  quoted  texts 
from  the  Bible,  which,  unexplained,  are  peculiarly  of- 
fensive to  Mohammedans. 

■ — T.  Graham.  Bailey 

I  suspect  that,  in  conversions  resulting  from  bazaar 
preaching  and  discussion  with  Mohammedans,  it  would 
be  found  that  in  a  majority  of  cases  what  had  first 
commended  the  truth  to  the  conscience  of  the  indi- 
vidual had  been,  not  the  intellectual  ability  or  force 
with  which  it  had  been  presented,  but  the  good  temper 
and  kindliness  of  the  preacher  in  the  face  of  bitter 
opposition  and  insult.  Much  of  our  preaching  seems 
to  me  rather  as  if  we  were  hoping  to  convert  men  by 
throwing  brickbats  at  them,  in  the  form  of  truth. 

— <?.  A,  Lefroy 


136 


VI 

THE  STORY  OF  MISSIONS  TO  MOSLEMS 

The  long  neglect  of  the  Christian  Church  has  Mistaken 

I  p        •      •  TIT      1  11  Efforts  of  the 

made  the  story  of  missions  to  Moslems  all  too  crusaders 
brief.  At  first  the  terror  of  the  Saracen  and  the 
Turk  smothered  :n  every  heart  even  the  desire 
to  carry  them  the  gospel.  And  when  Christen- 
dom in  Europe  recovered  from  the  shock  of  the 
Saracen  invasion  and  that  of  the  Turks,  its  first 
impulse  was  to  take  the  sword  and  by  the  sword 
its  hosts  of  Crusaders  perished.  The  Crusades 
were  the  reply  of  Christendom  to  the  challenge 
of  Islam.,  but  the  reply  was  not  in  the  spirit  of 
the  gospel.  The  first  missionary  to  the  Mos- 
lems, Raymund  Lull,  wrote:  *'I  see  many 
knights  going  to  the  Holy  Land  beyond  the 
seas,  and  thinking  that  they  can  acquire  it  by 
force  of  arms;  but  in  the  end  all  are  destroyed 
before  they  attain  that  which  they  think  to 
have.  Whence  it  seems  to  me  that  the  con- 
quest of  the  Holy  Land  ought  not  to  be  at- 
tempted except  in  the  way  in  which  thou  and 
thine  apostles  acquired  it,  namely,  by  love  and 
prayers  and  the  pouring  out  of  tears  and  blood." 
But  his  was  a  voice  crying  in  the  wilderness. 
^37 


138  The  Moslem  World 

Roman  Even  in  the  sixteenth  century,  devoted  as 

Era  ^  *°  were  the  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  who  then 

went  forth  to  the  pagan  world,  there  was  little 
to  attract  and  less  to  welcome  them  in  lands 
under  Moslem  rule. 
Neglect  When  the  modern  missionary  revival  began 

Modern  with  Carey,  the  idea  was  to  cany  the  gospel  to 

Missions  ^i^Q  heathen  and  the  Mohammedans  were  neg- 

lected. No  part  of  the  non-christian  world  has 
been  so  long  and  so  widely  neglected  as  Islam. 
The  task  has  either  appeared  so  foi-midable,  the 
obstacles  to  its  accomplishment  have  seemed  so 
great,  or  faith  has  been  so  weak  that  one  might 
suppose  the  Church  thought  her  great  commis- 
sion to  evangelize  the  world  did  not  appty  to 
Mohammedans. 
Misconception  The  Tcason  for  this  neglect  w^as  on  the  one 
gnorance  -^^^^^  ^^^  attitude  of  the  Church  toward  Islam, 
and  on  the  other  that  of  Islam  toward  the 
Church.  ** Christendom,"  says  Keller,  "accus- 
tomed itself  ever  since  the  time  of  the  Crusades 
to  look  upon  Islam  as  its  most  bitter  foe  and 
not  as  a  prodigal  son  to  be  won  back  to  the 
Father's  house."  There  was  also  the  greatest 
ignorance  of  the  real  character  of  Islam,  and 
the  Councils  of  the  Church  were  so  busy  with 
minor  matters  of  the  faith  that  they  ignored 
this  gigantic  heresy  which  was  sweeping  over 
the  lands  once  Christian. 


Missions  to  Moslems  139 

And  there  was  mutual  hatred.  "Marvel  not,"  Mutual 
wrote  Marco  Polo,  "that  the  Saracens  hate  the 
Christians ;  for  the  accursed  law  which  Moham- 
med gave  them  commands  them  to  do  all  the 
mischief  in  their  power  to  all  other  descriptions 
of  people  and  especially  to  Christians;  to  strip 
such  of  their  goods  and  do  them  all  manner  of 
evil.  In  such  fashion  the  Saracens  act  through- 
out the  world."  Dante  voices  the  common 
opinion  of  the  West  in  his  day  when  he  puts 
Moham.med  in  the  deepest  hell  of  his  Inferno 
and  describes  his  fate  in  such  dreadful  language 
as  offends  polite  ears. 

There   were   two   remarkable   exceptions   to  Two 

J  Remarkable 

this  general  ignorance  and  hatred.  John  ot  Exceptions 
Damascus  and  Peter  the  Venerable,  first  studied 
Islam  with  sympathy  and  used  spiritual  weapons 
in  defense  of  the  Christian  faith  against  Mos- 
lems. The  former  died  in  760,  and  the  latter 
in  1 157.  Both  were  distinguished  for  learning 
and  wrote  books  to  persuade  Moslems  of  the 
truth  of  Christianity.  Their  witness  was  not  in 
vain,  but  results  were  meager. 

While  these  two  men  and  others  tried  to  ^^fj"""""^ 
reach  Moslems  by  their  pen,  Raymund  Lull  was 
the  first  to  go  to  them  in  person.  They  offered 
arguments;  he  offered  his  Hfe.  Eugene  Stock 
says:  "There  is  no  more  heroic  figure  in  the 
histor}^  of  Christendom  than  that  of  Raymund 


140  The  Moslem  World 

Lull,  the  first  and  perhaps  the  greatest  mis- 
sionary to  Mohammedans."  "Of  all  the  men 
of  his  centtiry  of  whom  we  know,"  writes  Mr. 
Robert  E.  Speer,  "Raymund  Lull  was  most 
possessed  by  the  love  and  life  of  Christ,  and 
most  eager,  accordingly,  to  share  his  possession 
with  the  world.  It  sets  forth  the  greatness  of 
Lull's  character  the  more  strikingly  to  see  how 
sharply  he  rose  above  the  world  and  Church  of 
his  day,  anticipating  by  many  centuries  moral 
standards,  intellectual  conceptions,  and  mis- 
sionary ambitions  to  which  we  have  grown 
only  since  the  Reformation." 
Career  in  Raymund    Lull    was    born    on    the    Island 

of  Majorca,  in  1235,  and  when  of  age  spent 
several  years  at  the  court  of  the  king 
of  Aragon  as  a  court  poet,  a  skilled  musician, 
and  a  gay  knight  before  he  became  a  mis- 
sionary to  the  Mohammedans.  After  a  vision 
of  the  Christ,  he  was  converted,  sold  all 
his  property,  and  gave  the  money  to  the  poor, 
reserving  only  a  scanty  allowance  for  his  wife 
and  children.  He  entered  upon  a  thorough 
course  of  study,  mastered  the  Arabic  language, 
using  a  Saracen  slave  as  teacher,  and  began  his 
life-work  at  the  age  of  forty.  The  labor  to 
which  he  felt  called,  and  for  which  he  gave  his 
life  with  wonderful  perseverance  and  devotion, 
'7as  threefold:  He  devised  a  philosophical  sys- 


Outline 


Missions  to  Moslems  141 

tern  to  persuade  Moslems  of  the  truth  of  Chris- 
tianity; he  established  missionary  colleges  for 
the  study  of  Oriental  languages ;  and  he  himself 
went  and  preached  to  the  Moslems,  sealing  his 
witness  with  his  blood. 

In  his  fifty-sixth  year,  after  vain  efforts  to  ^^^  ^^"* 

.      .  .  Missionary 

arouse  others  to  a  missionary  enterprise  on  be-  journeys 
half  of  the  Mohammedans,  he  determined  to  set 
out  alone  and  preach  Christ  in  north  Africa.  On 
arriving  at  Tunis  he  invited  the  Moslems  to  a 
conference.  He  announced  that  he  had  studied 
the  arguments  on  both  sides  of  the  question, 
and  was  willing  to  submit  the  evidences  for 
Christianity  and  for  Islam  to  a  fair  comparison. 
The  challenge  w^as  accepted,  but  the  Moslems 
being  worsted  in  argument,  and  fanaticism  being 
aroused,  Lull  was  cast  into  a  dungeon  by  order 
of  the  Sultan,  and  narrowly  escaped  death. 
After  bitter  persecutions  he  returned  to  Europe, 
where  he  made  other  missionary  journeys.  In 
1307  he  was  again  on  the  shores  of  Africa,  and 
at  Bugia,  in  the  market-place,  stood  up  boldly 
and  preached  Christ  to  the  Moslem  populace. 
Once  again  his  pleadings  were  met  with  violence, 
and  he  was  flung  into  a  dungeon,  where  he  re- 
mained for  six  months,  preaching  to  those  few 
who  came,  and  befriended  only  by  some  mer- 
chants of  Genoa  and  Spain,  who  took  pity  on 
the  aged  missionary  of  the  cross. 


142 


The  Moslem  World 


Final 

Labors  and 
Martyrdom 


Although  banished  for  a  second  time  and  with 
threats  against  his  life  if  he  returned,  Lull  could 
not  resist  the  call  of  the  Love  that  ruled  his  life. 
"He  that  loves  not  lives  not,"  said  he,  "and  he 
that  lives  by  the  Life  cannot  die."  So,  in  13 14, 
the  veteran  of  eighty  years  returned  to  Africa 
and  to  his  little  band  of  Moslem  converts.  For 
over  ten  months  he  dwelt  in  hiding,  talking  and 
praying  with  those  who  had  accepted  Christ, 
and  trying  to  win  others.  Weary  of  seclusion, 
he  at  length  came  forth  into  the  open  market  and 
presented  himself  to  the  people  as  the  man  whom 
they  had  expelled.  It  was  Elijah  showing  him- 
self to  a  mob  of  Ahabs.  Lull  stood  before  them 
and  threatened  them  with  God's  wrath  if  they 
still  persisted  in  their  errors.  He  pleaded  with 
love,  but  spoke  the  whole  truth.  Filled  with 
fury  at  his  boldness  and  unable  to  reply  to  his 
arguments,  the  populace  seized  him  and  dragged 
him  out  of  the  town.  There  he  was  stoned  to 
death,  June  30,  13 15,  and  so  became  the  first 
martyr  missionary  to  Islam.  "One  step  further," 
says  Dr.  George  Smith, — "but  some  slight  re- 
sponse from  his  Church  or  his  age,  and  Ray- 
mund  Lull  would  have  anticipated  William 
Carey  by  exactl}^  five  centuries."  But  there 
was  no  response. 

Between  the  date  of  Lull's  death  and  his  suc- 
cessors we  have  to  make  a  leap  of  centuries. 


Missions  to  Moslems  143 

And  while  the  Church  was  neglecting  the  prob-  ^^'Jjy^,^ 
lem,  Islam  was  spreading  in  all  directions  and  Effo'^rts"  ^ 
taking  root  in  new  lands  and  among  new  peo-  for  isiam 
pies.  Five  centuries  of  inactivity  and  then  the 
mantle  of  Raymund  Lull  fell  upon  Henry 
Martyn,  saint  and  scholar,  and  first  modern 
missionary  to  the  Mohammedans.  Born  in 
1 78 1,  the  story  of  his  early  life  is  well  known  in 
the  annals  of  missions.  He  was  ordained  in 
1803,  and  arrived  in  India, in  1806  as  a  chap- 
lain of  the  East  India  Company,  with  his  heart 
on  fire  to  labor  for  the  benighted  peoples  of  the 
Orient.  Before  his  arrival  he  had  already  studied 
Sanskrit,  Persian,  and  Arabic,  and  afterward  he 
labored  unceasingly  by  tongue  and  pen,  by 
preaching  and  by  prayer,  "to  burn  out  for  God." 

In   1808  he  completed  a  version  of  the  New  scripture 

.  -.    1     ,         •    J  ii  Translation 

Testament  in  Hindustani,  and  later  mto  other 
languages  of  India.  With  a  special  desire  to 
reach  the  Mohammedans,  he  perfected  himself 
in  Persian  and  began  a  version  of  the  New 
Testament  in  that  language.  In  181 1  he  sailed 
from  Calcutta  to  Bombay  and  for  the  Persian 
Gulf,  partly  because  of  his  broken  health,  but 
more  so,  as  is  evident  from  his  journals,  that 
he  might  give  the  Mohammedans  of  Arabia  and 
Persia  the  Word  of  God.  On  his  voyage  from 
Calcutta  to  Bombay  he  composed  tracts  in 
Arabic,  spoke  with  the  Arab  sailors,  and  studied 


144  The  Moslem  World 

the  Koran.  He  stopped  at  Muscat,  April  20, 
and  we  can  tell  what  his  thoughts  then  were  in 
regard  to  Arabia,  for  a  year  earlier  he  wrote  in 
his  diary:  "If  my  life  is  spared  there  is  no  reason 
why  the  Arabic  should  not  be  done  in  Arabia 
and  the  Persian  in  Persia.  .  .  .  Arabia  shall  hide 
me  till  I  come  forth  with  an  approved  New 
Testament  in  Arabic."  ...  He  reached  Shiraz 
in  June,  181 1,  and  there  revised  his  Persian 
translation,  also  holding  frequent  discussions 
with  the  Moslem  mullahs.  One  year  after  en- 
tering Persia  he  left  Shiraz  and  proceeded  to 
the  Shah's  camp  near  Ispahan,  to  lay  before  him 
the  translation  he  had  made.  Let  him  tell  us 
the  story  in  his  own  words. 

''June  12  I  attended  the  Vizier's  levee,  when 
there  was  a  most  intemperate  and  clamorous 
controversy  kept  up  for  an  hour  or  two,  eight 
or  ten  on  one  side  and  I  on  the  other.  The 
Vizier,  who  set  us  going  first,  joined  in  it  lat- 
terly, and  said,  'You  had  better  say  God  is  God, 
and  Mohammed  is  the  prophet  of  God.*  I  said, 
'God  is  God,'  but  added,  instead  of  'Mohammed 
is  the  prophet  of  God,'  *and  Jesus  is  the  Son  of 
God.'  They  had  no  sooner  heard  this,  which 
I  had  avoided,  bringing  forward  until  then,  than 
they  all  exclaimed  in  contempt  and  anger,  *he 
is  neither  bom  nor  begets,'  and  rose  up  as  if  they 
would  have  torn  me  in  pieces.     One  of  them 


Missions  to  Moslems  145 

said,  'What  will  you  say  when  your  tongue  is 
burned  out  for  this  blasphemy?'  One  of  them 
felt  for  me  a  little,  and  tried  to  soften  the 
severity  of  this  speech.  My  book,  which  I  had 
brought,  expecting  to  present  it  to  the  King, 
lay  before  Mirza  Shufi.  As  they  all  arose  up, 
after  him,  to  go,  some  to  the  King,  and  some 
away,  I  was  afraid  they  would  trample  upon 
the  book,  so  I  went  in  among  them  to  take  it  up, 
and  wrapped  it  in  a  towel  before  them,  while 
they  looked  at  it  and  me  with  supreme  con- 
tempt. Thus  I  walked  away  alone,  to  pass 
the  rest  of  the  day  in  heat  and  dirt.  What 
have  I  done,  thought  I,  to  merit  all  this  scorn? 
Nothing,  thought  I,  but  bearing  testimony  to 
Jesus.  I  thought  over  these  things  in  prayer, 
and  found  that  peace  which  Christ  hath  prom- 
ised to  his  disciples." 

But  his  testimony  was  not  wholly  in  vain.  The  Truth 
even  in  those  early  days.  We  read  of  one,  at  Lodgment 
least,  who  accepted  the  truth,  and,  as  Martyn 
himself  said:  "Even  if  I  never  should  see  a 
native  converted,  God  may  design  by  my 
patience  and  continuance  in  the  Word  to  en- 
courage future  missionaries."  Only  the  Last 
Day  will  reveal  the  extent  of  the  influence  of 
this  man,  who,  with  no  Christian  to  tend  or 
comfort  him  in  his  last  illness,  laid  down  his 
life  at  Tocat,  October  16,  181 2. 


146 


The  Moslem  World 


Martyn  and 
Missions  for 
Mohammedan 
India 


Pfander's 
Great  Work 


For  Mohammedan  India,  Martyn  accom- 
plished most.  And  from  the  time  of  Martyn 
on,  some  missionaries  in  India  have  done 
definite  work  for  Moslems  as  well  as  for  Hindus, 
although  not  to  as  great  an  extent.  Books  and 
tracts  were  prepared  specially  to  meet  Moham- 
medan objections.  Moslem  pupils  attended  the 
mission  schools,  the  Scriptures  were  translated 
into  the  other  languages  used  by  Moslems,  and 
in  more  recent  years  a  few  missionaries  have 
been  set  apart  directly  for  this  work.  The 
missionary  societies  which  have  been  specially 
active  are  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  the 
Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel,  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  the  Churches  of 
Scotland's  missions,  the  various  American  Pres- 
byterian missions,  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  the  Eng- 
lish and  Australian  Baptist  missions. 

The  next  laborer  in  Persia  after  Henry  Martyn 
was  Karl  Gottlieb  Pfander,  missionary  linguist 
and  author,  who  left  a  wide  and  permanent  im- 
pression, not  only  in  Persia,  but  throughout  the 
Mohammedan  world,  through  his  celebrated 
Mizan-til-Hak,  a  great  controversial  work.  In 
1829  he  went  to  Bagdad  to  learn  Arabic  and 
two  years  later  to  Ispahan.  On  a  missionary 
journey  to  the  town  of  Kei-manshah,  after  a 
discussion  with  the  mullahs,  he  came  near  to 


Missions  to  Moslems  147 

winning  martyrdom.  But  God  spared  his  life 
and  he  labored  on,  first  in  Russia,  then  in  India, 
and  finally  in  Constantinople.  Everywhere  his 
tongue  and  pen  were  mighty  forces  in  the  proc- 
lamation of  the  truth.  He  died  at  Richmond- 
on-t he-Thames,  December,   1865. 

In  1827  Dr.  Joseph  Wolff  visited  Persia,  and  Dr.woiff 

■c         A  •  T-»  1     i"  Persia 

as  a  result  of  his  writmgs  the  American  Board 
of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  de- 
termined to  begin  work  among  the  Nestorians. 
In  1834  the  first  missionaries  went  out  and  at- 
tempted work  among  Moslems,  but  the  way 
was  not  open.  For  many  years  the  work  was 
entirely  among  the  Nestorians.  In  187 1  this 
mission  came  under  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Churcli,  and 
in  more  recent  years  there  has  been  work 
also  among  Moslems.  Some  have  professed 
Christ  openly  and  several  have  suffered  mar- 
tyrdom, among  them  Mirza  Ibrahim,  whose 
wonderful  hfe  story  is  told  by  Robert  E. 
Speer.* 

The  Church  Missionary  Society  began  work  ^^^^l"^^^^^ 
in    Ispahan    in    1875.     Their    work    has    been  society 
largely  among  the  Mohammedans.     Three  other 
stations,  Yezd,  Kerman,  and  Shiraz,  have  been 
occupied,   and   the   work   has   been  fruitftil  in 
results  to  a  remarkable  degree. 

»  Young  Men  Who  Overcame, 753-765. 


148 


The  Moslem  World 


Keith- 
Falconer 
and  Others 
in  Arabia 


Missions  in 
the  Turkish 
Empire 


The  pioneer  missionary  to  Arabia  was  Ion 
Keith-Falconer.  He  did  not  live  long  (dying  at 
Shaikh  Othman,  May  11,  1887,  after  less  than 
two  3^ears'  service),  but  he  lived  long  enough  to 
do  what  he  purposed,  'Ho  call  attention  to 
Arabia."  The  United  Free  Church  of  Scotland 
has  continued  his  work  at  Aden  and  inland,  and 
the  Danish  Church  has  recently  sent  out  work- 
ers to  join  their  number.  These,  with  the  Church 
Missionary  Society  at  Bagdad  and  the  Dutch 
Reformed  Arabian  Mission  on  the  east  coast  at 
Busrah,  Bahrein,  and  Muscat,  are  all  working 
directly  for  Mohammedans  and  reaching  far 
inland  by  tours  and  hospital  service.  Arabia 
has  been  rich  in  the  sacrifice  of  missionary  lives. 
Besides  that  of  Keith-Falconer,  it  holds  as  a 
heritage  of  promise  the  graves  of  Bishop  French, 
Peter  J.  Zwemer,  George  E.  Stone,  Harry  J. 
Wiersum,  Dr.  Marion  Wells  Thoms,  and  Mrs. 
Jessie  Vail  Bennett.  The  Arabian  Mission  of 
the  Reformed  Church  in  America,  organized  in 
1889,  now  has  nineteen  missionaries  on  the  field, 
with  twenty  native  helpers,  two  hospitals,  and 
three  outstations. 

The  territory  of  the  Turkish  empire  is  well 
covered  by  missionary  societies.  The  American 
Board  is  the  oldest  in  the  field  and  occupies 
European  Turkey,  Asia  Minor,  and  eastern 
Turkey.     The    Board    of    Foreign    Missions    of 


Missions  to  Moslems  i49 

the  Presbyterian  Church  occupies  Syria.  The 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  work  in  Bul- 
garia, the  Reformed  Presbyterians  in  northern 
Syria,  and  the  Church  Missionary  Society  m 
Palestine.  These  are  the  chief  agencies  at  work 
and  count  a  total  of  637  foreign  missionaries, 
yet  according  to  the  Encyclopedia  of  Missions, 
''the  Church  Missionary  Society  is  the  only  one 
that  has  made  a  special  efl^ort  to  estabhsh  mis- 
sion work  distinctively  for  Mohammedans."  ^^^^^^ 

Until  recent  years  the  difficulties  of  the  prob-  ^^^^^^^ 
lem  and  the  terror  of  the  Turk  seem  to  have  Moslems 
prevented  direct  work  for  Moslems,  although  by 
printing-press,  schools,   colleges,  and  hospitals 
many  Mohammedans  were  reached  ^mdirectly 
and   sometimes  even  incidentally.      "The  mis- 
sionaries have  devoted  a  relatively  smah  part 
of  their  time  and  strength  to  the  Moslem  work. 
In  Egypt,  Syria,  Turkey,  and  Persia  the  greater 
portion  of  the  energy  of  the  missionaries  has 
been     devoted     to  work  for  Copts,  Maronites, 
Greeks,     Armenians,     Jews,     and     Nestonans. 
Apart  from  the  schools    (and   the  number  of 
Mohammedan  pupils  in  schools  in  Turkey  is 
almost  inconsiderably  small),  comparatively  lit- 
tle has  been  done.    Through  medical  missionaries 
many  have  been  accessible  and  some  have  been 
reached,  but  we  do  not  have,  and  have  not  had 
for  years,  a  systematic  and  aggressive  though 


150  The  Moslem  World 

tactful  and  quiet  campaign  for  the  evangeliza- 
tion of  Moslems." 
Early  Ideals  'p^e  American  pioneers  in  the  Turkish  em- 

Resuits  pi^6    planned    the    mission    with   direct    refer- 

ence to  the  Moslems.  "We  must  not  calculate 
too  closely  the  chances  of  life,"  wrote  Mr. Smith, 
in  1827,  and  he  was  sure  that  the  missionary 
*  Vould  find  a  prop  upon  which  to  rest  the  lever 
that  will  overthrow  the  whole  system  of  Mo- 
hammedan delusion."  Perhaps  these  early 
ideals  were  lost  sight  of,  or  more  probably  they 
were  crushed  by  the  later  political  restrictions 
and  persecutions  in  Turkey,  so  that  direct 
work  was  not  attempted  or  was  impossible; 
nevertheless  much  has  been  accomplished  in 
the  face  of  tremendous  difficulty  and  determined 
opposition  for  the  future  evangelization  of  Mos- 
lems. *' Protestant  missions  have  given  the 
entire  population  the  Bible  in  their  own  tongue  ■ 
have  trained  hundreds  of  thousands  of  readers; 
published  thousands  of  useful  books;  awakened 
a  spirit  of  inquiry;  set  in  motion  educational 
institutions  in  all  the  sects  of  all  parts  of  the 
empire,  compelling  the  enemies  of  education  to 
become  its  friends,  and  the  most  conservative 
of  Orientals  to  devote  mosque  and  convent 
property  to  the  founding  of  schools  of  learning. 
They  have  broken  the  fetters  of  womanhood. 
.  .  .  Every  evangelical  Church  is  a  living  epistle 


Missions  to  Moslems  151 

to  the  Mohammedans  with  regard  to  the  true 
nature  of  original  apostoHc  Christianity." 

As  a  single  striking  example  among  hundreds  '^^^^^^^^^'^ 
of  this  great  though  indirect  work  for  the  Mos- 
lem evangelization,  take  the  Arabic  version  of 
the  Scriptures  by  Drs.  EH  Smith  and  Cornelius 
Van  Dyck.  This  arduous  task  was  begun  in 
1848  and  not  finally  completed  until  1865,  and 
marked  an  epoch  in  missions  for  the  Moham- 
medan world  greater  than  any  accession  or 
deposition  of  Sultans.  That  Bible  made  modern 
missions  to  Arabia,  Egypt,  Tunis,  Tripoli,  and 
the  Arabic-speaking  world  possible.  And  it  has 
only  begun  its  conquests. 

As  early  as  1825  the  Church  Missionary  So-  f^'-fj;" 

J  ^  T^  ,      North  Ainca 

ciety  sent  a  band  of  five  Basel  men  to  Egypt, 
one  of  them  the  famous  Samuel  Gobat.  There 
were  schools  and  distribution  of  the  Scripture 
and  conversations  with  thoughtful  Copts  and 
Moslems,  but  the  encouragement  was  small. 
Mohammedanism  appeared  unassailable.  The 
first  American  missionaries  reached  Egypt  in 
1854,  and  every  student  of  missions  knows  how 
the  United  Presbyterian  mission  has  spread  along 
the  entire  Nile  Valley,  like  a  fruitful  vine,  and 
grown  in  numbers,  influence,  and  results  chiefly 
among  the  Copts,  but  also  among  Moslems.  For 
example,  in  1906,  over  three  thousand  Moslem 
pupils   attended  the  schools  of  this  American 


152  The  Moslem  World 

Mission,  and  for  the  past  five  years  meetings  for 
public  discussion  on  the  difference  between  Islam 
and  Christianity  have  been  held  twice  a  week  in 
Cairo.  Special  literature  for  Moslems  has  also 
been  printed  and  distributed.  In  1882  the 
Church  Missionary  Society  resumed  its  work 
in  Egypt  and  began  work  directly  among  Mos- 
lems, with  encouraging  results  even  in  the  great 
Moslem  University  at  Cairo.  When  in  1880 
Mr.  George  Pearse  came  to  north  Africa  there 
was  not  a  single  Protestant  missionary  between 
Alexandria  and  the  Atlantic  coast  of  Morocco, 
nor  southward  from  the  Mediterranean  almost 
to  the  Niger  and  the  Congo.  Now  the  North 
Africa  Mission  has  eighteen  stations  in  Egypt, 
Tripoli,  Tunis,  Algeria,  and  Morocco,  manned 
by  eighty-six  missionaries.  A  hospital  and  dis- 
pensary are  established  at  Tangier  and  a  dis- 
pensary at  Fez.  There  are  also  other  smaller 
independent  missions  working  in  north  Africa 
and  very  recently  work  has  begun  in  the  Sudan, 
strength  of  "But,"    says    an    authority   on   Africa,    *'for 

every  missionary  to  the  Mohammedans  in  Africa 
you  can  find  twenty  missionaries  to  the  pagans 
of  Africa  and  for  every  convert  from  Moham- 
medanism in  Africa  I  think  you  can  find  one 
thousand  converts  from  paganism  in  Africa. 
And  if  this  does  not  prove  that  the  real  mis- 
sionary problem  in  Africa  is  Mohammedanism, 


Islam  in 
Africa 


Missions  to  Moslems  153 

I  scarcely  see  how  that  point  could  be  proved 
at  all."  One  third  of  the  population  of  Africa 
is  Mohammedan,  and  yet  Mohammedan  Africa, 
though  nearest  to  Europe,  is  darkest  Africa, 
and  has  by  far  the  fewest  mission  stations. 

Sumatra  and  Java  are  the  principal  fields  of  success  in 
work  for  Moslems  in  Malaysia.  A  Baptist  mis-  ^"™^*''^ 
sionary  reached  Sumatra  as  early  as  1820,  and 
in  1834  Munson  and  Lyman  went  out  under  the 
American  Board,  but  were  brutally  murdered. 
The  Rhenish  Missionary  Society  and  others 
entered  the  field  in  1861  and  have  had  mar- 
velous success.  There  is  no  other  part  of  the 
mission  field,  with  the  exception  of  some  parts 
of  Java,  where  such  large  numbers  of  Moham- 
medans have  been  won  for  Christ  as  among 
the  Battaks  of  Sumatra.  The  attitude  of  the 
Dutch  Government  has  in  recent  years  greatly 
changed,  and  is  now  favorable  to  missions.  In 
Sumatra  the  issue  between  Christianity  and 
Islam  was  boldly  faced  from  the  outset;  there 
was  neither  fear  nor  compromise  in  mission 
methods,  and  this  fact,  together  with  consid- 
erable freedom  to  preach,  perhaps  accounts  for 
the  great  success  in  winning  converts. 

Java   is   the    richest    and   largest    of    Dutch  Java 
colonial    possessions.     Six     Dutch    missionary 
societies  labor  on  the  island,  which  has  a  dense 
population  of   28,746,688;  of  these   24,270,600 


154 


The  Moslem  World 


Encouraging 
Fruit  of  Past 
Efforts 


Strategic 

Centers 

Occupied 


are  Moslems,— surely  a  large  and  difficult  field. 
Yet  by  preaching,  the  sale  of  Scriptures,  and 
medical  work  nearly  twenty  thousand  Mo- 
hammedans have  been  won  over  to  Christianity, 
many  of  them  at  great  cost  and  under  severe 
persecution. 

When  we  consider  how  much  the  Moslem 
convert  must  risk  to  confess  Christ  openly, 
surely  there  is  much  to  encourage  us,  and 
it  is  with  joy  that  we  can  point  to  results 
in  Moslem  lands  and  to  miracles  of  God's 
grace.  These  results  have  been  direct  and  in- 
direct. The  latter  have  been  far  greater  than 
the  former  and  have  in  God's  Providence  pre- 
pared the  way  for  the  final  assault  and  the 
victory. 

The  preliminary  work  has  largely  been  ac- 
complished. It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  every 
strategic  Moslem  center  is  occupied  by  Prot- 
estant missions.  No  less  than  thirty  cities,  with 
very  large  Moslem  populations,  are  centers  of 
missionary  effort  by  printing-press,  hospital, 
school,  or  college;  and  in  each  of  them,  directly 
or  indirectly,  the  gospel  reaches  Moslems.^ 

1  These  cities  are;  Calcutta,  1,026,087;  Constantinople,  1.106,000 
Bombay,  776,006;  Cairo,  570,062;  Madras,  509,346;  Haidarabad, 
448,466;  Alexandria,  319,766;  Teheran,  280,000;  Lucknow,  264,049; 
Rangoon,  234,881;  l3amasctts,  230,000;  Delhi,  208,575;  Lahore, 
202,964;  Smyrna,  201,000;  Cawnpur,  197,170;  Agra,  188,022;  Ahma- 
dabad,  185,889;  Tabriz,  200,000;  Allahabad,  172,032;  Tunis,  250,000; 
Amritsar,  162,429;  Howra,  157,594;  Poona,  153.320;  Soerabaya 
(Java),  146,944;  Bagdad,  145,000;  Fez,  140,000;  Patna,  134.785; 
Aleppo,  127,150;  Beirut,  118,800;  Karachi,  116,663. 


Missions  to  Moslems  155 


Work  of 
the  Press 


Another  result  which  we  have  already  men- 
tioned is  that  the  Bible  has  been  translated  into 
nearly  every  language  spoken  by  Moslems. 
Thousands  of  portions  of  Scripture  are  already 
in  use  by  Moslems  and  tens  of  thousands  of 
copies  are  being  sold  to  them  every  year  by 
colporteurs  and  missionaries.  The  Beirut  Press 
alone  has  issued  over  a  million  volumes  of  the 
Arabic  Scriptures  since  it  was  founded.  The 
demand  for  the  vernacular  Bible  in  Persia, 
Arabia,  Egypt,  and  the.  Turkish  Empire  is 
phenomenal.  Not  only  has  the  Bible  been 
translated  and  v/idely  distributed,  but  a  large 
and  important  body  of  Christian  literature  is 
ready  for  Moslems  in  Arabic,  Persian,  Turkish, 
Urdu,  and  Bengali,  the  chief  literary  languages 
of  Islam.  These  powerful  adjuncts  are  already 
being  used  in  the  conflict. 

And  there  have  been  unconditional  surrenders.   Mohammedan 

Converts 

It  is  an  old  falsehood  widely  current  even  among 
the  ignorant  friends  of  missions,  that  "it  is  no 
use  tr}"ing  to  convert  Mohammedans,"  and  that 
there  have  been  no  converts  from  Islam.  The 
fact  is  that  there  was  a  convert  from  Islam  even 
before  the  death  of  Mohammed!  One  of  his 
early  companions  went  to  Abyssinia  and  there 
embraced  the  Christian  faith,  saying  that  he 
was  no  longer  ''blinking  in  the  shadow  of  Islam, 
but  had  the  true  Light."    And  there  have  been 


156  The  Moslem  World 

converts  ever  since  in  all  lands  where  the  gospel 
was  preached  to  Moslems,  although  not  as  many 
as  there  might  have  been  but  for  our  neglect. 
Accessions  in         "The     accessions    from     Islam,"     says     Dr. 

North  India         _.t,  h  •    h         •  -1  t     1-         1 

Wherry,  especially  m  northern  India,  have 
been  continuous  during  all  the  years  since  the 
death  of  Henry  Martyn.  One  here  and  another 
there  has  been  added  to  the  Christian  Church, 
so  that  now,  as  one  looks  over  the  rolls  of 
Church  membership,  he  is  surprised  to  find  so 
many  converts  from  Islam,  or  the  children 
and  children's  children  of  such  converts.  In 
the  north,  especially  the  Punjab,  and  the 
Northwest  Frontier  Province,  every  congrega- 
tion has  a  representation  from  the  Moslem 
ranks.  Some  of  the  churches  have  a  majority 
of  their  membership  gathered  from  among  the 
Mussulmans.  In  a  few  cases  there  has  been 
something  like  a  movement  among  Moslems 
toward  Christianity,  and  a  considerable  number 
have  come  out  at  one  time.  But  perhaps  the  fact 
which  tells  most  clearly  the  story  of  the  ad- 
vance of  Christianity  among  Moslems  in  India 
is  this,  that  among  the  native  pastors  and 
Christian  preachers  and  teachers  in  north  India 
there  are  at  least  two  hundred  who  were  once 
followers  of  Islam." 

The  United  Presb3rterian  mission  in  Egypt, 
although  its  work  has  been  chiefly  among  the 


Missions  to  Moslems  i57 

Copts,  reports  one  hundred  and  forty  baptisms  ^^[*^°^ 
of  adult  Moslems  during  its  history.  In  Persia  pieids 
there  are  Moslem  converts  at  every  station  of 
the  Church  Missionary  Society.  Even  in  Arabia 
and  in  the  Turkish  empire  there  have  been  con- 
verts and  martyrs  to  the  faith.  From  north 
Africa,  the  latest  reports  tell  us  that  at  almost 
all  the  stations  there  have  in  past  years  been 
converts  and  some  of  them  have  suffered  griev- 
ous persecution.  There  are  also  many  secret 
disciples. 

In  Sumatra  the  Rhenish  Mission  has  6,500  [l^^l^^f^ 
converted  Moslems,  1,150  catechumens,  80  Asia 
churches,  5  pastors,  and  70  lay  preachers,  while 
they  baptized  153  Mohammedans  in  1906.  In 
the  district  of  Si  Perok  a  Christian  convert  from 
Islam  has  become  chief  in  place  of  a  Moham- 
medan; and  in  Java,  as  we  saw,  there  have  been 
still  greater  numerical  results.  According  to  the 
latest  statistics,  there  are  now  Hving  in  Java 
eighteen  thousand  who  have  been  converted  to 
Christianity  from  Islam,  and  the  converts  from 
Islam  amount  to  between  three  hundred  and 
four  hundred  adults  every  year.  In  Bokhara 
and  the  Caucasus,  where  work  has  only  just 
begun,  a  number  of  Moslems  have  been  con- 
verted and  baptized.  The  testimony  of  a  Mos- 
lem professor  in  the  high  school  in  Bokhara, 
now  a  convert,  may  well  close  this  brief  sum- 


158  The  Moslem  World 

mary  of  results.  Coming  from  the  heart  of 
Asia  and  of  the  Mohammedan  world,  his  word 
is  prophetic:  "/  ant  convinced  that  Jesus  Christ 
will  conquer  Mohammed.  There  is  no  doubt 
about  it,  because  Christ  is  King  in  heaven  and 
on  earth,  and  his  kingdom  fills  heaven  now,  and 
will  soon  fill  the  earth.''  How  soon  shall  it  be? 
Are  not  the  results  already  attained  a  prophecy 
of  final  victory  ? 


QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  VI 

Aim:   To  Determine  the  General  Principles  that 
Should  Govern  Missions  to  Moslems 

1.  What  excuse  can  you  find  for  the  neglect  of 
missions  to  Moslems  by  the  Medieval  Church? 

2.  To  what  extent  were  these  excuses  really  valid? 

3.  In   what  ways   is   the   Church   of  to-day   more 
culpable  for  neglect? 

4.  Which  was  more  to  blame  for  its  attitude  to- 
ward the  other,  the  Christian  Church  or  Islam? 

5.  What  are  the  principal  lessons  to  us  from  the 
life  of  Lull,  in  the  order  of  their  importance? 

6.  What  is  the  principal  challenge  of  his  life  to  us? 

7.  What  do  you  think  of  his  methods  of  work? 

8.  Name  the  things  that  Martyn  accomplished  in 
what  you  consider  the  order  of  their  Importance. 


Missions  to  Moslems  IS9 

9.  Do  yon  think  that  Keith-Falconer  would  have 
been  justified  in  going  to  Arabia,  if  he  had 
known  that  he  would  live  there  only  two  years? 

10.  What  arguments  can  you  give  for  missions  in 
the  Levant  devoting  so  much  of  their  attention 
to  the  Oriental  Churches? 

11.  What  are  the  arguments  for  devoting  more  time 
to  Moslems? 

12.  What  methods  would  you  adopt  in  countries 
where  direct  preaching  and  discussion  is  pro- 
hibited? 

13.  What  are  the  principal  kinds  of  preparation 
that  you  think  a  missionary  to  Moslems  should 
have  ? 

14.  What  should  be  his  spirit  toward  Islam? 

15.  Why  do  you  think  most  Moslems  believe  as 
they  do? 

16.  How  do  you  think  Moslems  in  general  com- 
pare with  Christians  as  to  sincerity? 

17.  What  responsibility  have  we  beyond  proclaim- 
ing to  them  the  truth  as  we  see  it? 

18.  If  Moslems  misunderstand  Christianity,  with 
whom  does  the  responsibility  rest? 

19.  Is  a  Moslem  right  or  wrong  in  rejecting  a 
Christianity  that  seems  to  him  absurd? 

20.  What  should  be  the  personal  spirit  of  approach 
to  Moslems? 

21.  What  things  do  you  think  you  ought  to  know 
about  the  individual  with  whom  you  are 
dealing? 


i6o  The  Moslem  World 

22.  Suggest  some  lines  of  approach  that  you  think 
might  prove  helpful. 

23.  What  points  of  contact  might  be  employed? 

24.  In  what  spirit  would  you  introduce  differences 
of  belief? 

25.  Name  the  various  things  in  the  order  of  impor- 
tance upon  which  you  would  depend  for  results 
in  personal  dealings  with  Moslems. 

26.  What  would  you  consider  the  relative  impor- 
tance of  your  words  and  example  in  presenting 
Christ? 


REFERENCES  FOR  ADVANCED  STUDY 
CHAPTER  VI 

I.    Raynmnd  Lull. 

Barnes:  Two  Thousand  Years  of  Missions  Before 

Carey,  205-208. 
Noble:  The  Redemption  of  Africa,  iog-126. 
Walsh :  Heroes  of  the  Mission  Fields,  VIII. 
Zvvemer:   Raymund  Lull,  First  Missionary  to  the 

Moslems. 

II.    Henry  Martyn. 

Bell:  Heroes  of  Christian  Missions,  VI,  VII. 
Page :  Henry  Martyn,  His  Life  and  Labors,  XI. 
Rhea :  Missionary  Annals,  29-46. 
Smith:  Henry  Martyn,  XI,  XII,  XV. 
Sargent :  The  Life  of  Henry  Martyn,  IX,  XI. 
Thoburn:    The   Christian   Conquest   of  India,    145- 
149. 


Missions  to  Moslems  i6i 

III.  Ion  Keith-Falconer. 

Pierson:  in  Picket  Line  of  Missions,  III. 

Sinker:  Memorials  of  the  Hon.  Ion  Keith-Falconer, 

III,  VI,  IX,  X. 
Zwemer :  Arabia :  The  Cradle  of  Islam,  XXXI. 

IV.  Missionary  Work  Among  Moslems.^ 

Stock:  History  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society, 

Vol.  Ill,  XCIV. 
Watson :  The  American  Mission  in  Egypt,  XXVI, 

XXVII. 
Watson :  Egypt  and  the  Christian  Crusade,  V-VIII. 
Zwemer :  Arabia :  The  Cradle  of  Islam,  XXXIII. 


iPor  further  information  consult  the  general  histories  of  missions, 
and  the  annual  reports  and  periodicals  of  the  mission  boards  and 
societies. 


THE  PRESENT  PROBLEM 
AND  PERIL 


i«3 


We  should  lay  siege  to  the  Port  Arthurs  of  the 
non-christian  world  with  the  undiscourageable  purpose 
to  capture  them.  We  should  not  shrink  or  falter  before 
such  apparently  impregnable  fortresses  as  the  Moham- 
medan world. 

— John  R.  Mott 

The  Church  must  awake  to  her  duty  toward  Islam. 
Who  will  wake  her  and  keep  her  awake  unless  it  be 
those  who  have  heard  the  challenge  of  Islam,  and  who, 
going  out  against  her,  have  found  her  armor  decayed, 
her  weapons  antiquated,  and  her  children,  though 
proud  and  reticent,  still  unhappy? 

— Robert  E.  Speer 

Pan-Islamism  to  all  appearance  promises  to  become 
in  time  the  best  weapon  for  successfully  carrying  on 
the  struggle  against  Christendom,  and  in  the  eyes  of 
the  great  majority  of  the  faithful,  Pan-Islamism  will  be 

the  life-buoy  of  the  future The  energetic 

spirit  of  Abd  ul  Hamid  is  particularly  interested  in 
the  movement.  He  is  known  to  have  a  great  predilection 
for  dark  machinations,  which  he  personally  superin- 
tends. The  building  of  the  Hejaz  line,  which  is  to 
facilitate  the  communication  with  the  centers  of  the 
Islamic  world,  is  his  work,  and  undertaken  with  a  view 
to  the  promotion  of  Pan-Islamic  interests.  .  .  .  . 
Pan-Islamism  is  not  nearly  so  dangerous  as  it  is  often 
supposed  to  be.  It  is  denounced  by  Moslems  who 
have  advanced  in  European  culture,  with  the  fear  that 
the  rise  of  theocracy  must  be  dangerous  to  liberal 
views. 

—A.  V amber y 


164 


VII 

THE    PRESENT    PROBLEM    AND    PERIL 

When  Samuel  J.  Mills  and  his  associates  met  Evangelization 
under  the  shelter  of  the  Haystack  one  hundred  ^^Jdan^oriT 
years  ago,  they  were  not  unmindful  of  the 
difficulties  of  world-wide  evangelization  nor  of 
the  difficulties  of  reaching  Mohammedan  lands. 
Loomis  maintained  that  "the  time  was  not  ripe, 
and  such  a  movement  was  premature.  If 
missionaries  were  sent  they  would  be  murdered, 
and  what  was  needed  was  a  new  crusade  before 
the  gospel  could  be  sent  to  the  Turks  and 
Arabs."  The  others  replied  that  God  was 
always  willing  to  have  his  kingdom  advanced, 
and  that  if  Christian  people  would  only  do  their 
part,  God  could  be  relied  on  to  do  his.  "We 
can  do  it  if  we  will. ' '  We  know  now  that  Loomis 
was  wrong  and  Mills  was  right.  No  Christian 
army  has  ever  subdued  Turkey  or  Arabia,  yet 
both  are  mission  fields.  And  surely  if  one 
hundred  years  ago  the  faith  of  these  men  of 
the  Haystack  did  not  stagger  at  the  obstacles, 
but  accepted  the  challenge,  we  can  do  it  now 
if  we  will.     The  evangelization  of  the  Moham- 

i6s 


1 66  The  Moslem  World 

medan  world,  of  which  we  have  had  glimpses 
in  the  foregoing  chapters — so  great  in  its  extent, 
so  deep  in  its  degradation,  so  hopeless  without 
the  gospel — is  one  of  the  grandest  and  most 
inspiring  problems  ever  undertaken  by  the 
Church  of  Christ.  It  may  be  as  Dr.  H.  H.  Jessup 
says,  a  work  of  ''surpassing  difficulty  which  will 
require  a  new  baptism  of  apostolic  wisdom  and 
energy,  faith,  and  love,"  and  may  "tax  the  in- 
tellect, the  faith,  the  wisdom,  the  zeal,  and  the 
self-denial  of  the  whole  Church  in  every  land"; 
but,  unless  Christ's  great  commission  has  lost 
its  meaning  and  his  power  is  insufficient  for  this 
undertaking,  the  Mohammedan  world  must  and 
will  be  evangelized.  While  other  religions  and 
systems  of  error  have  fallen  before  Christian 
missions,  like  Dagon  before  the  ark  of  Jehovah, 
Islam,  like  mighty  Goliath,  defies  the  armies  of 
the  living  God  and  the  progress  of  Christ's 
kingdom.  In  three  continents  it  still  presents 
an  almost  unbroken  phalanx,  armed  with  the 
old  proud  and  aggressive  spirit  of  defiance. 
A  Moslem  Only  five  years  ago  Sheik  Abd  ul  Hak,  of 

Bagdad,  a  Moslem  of  the  old  school,  wrote  an 
article  on  behalf  of  the  Pan-Islamic  league.  It 
appeared  in  a  French  journal  and  was  entitled, 
*'The  Final  Word  of  Islam  to  Europe."  From 
this  remarkable,  outspoken,  and  doubtless  sin- 
cere defiance  we  quote  the  following  paragraph: 


Defiance 


Present  Problem  and  Peril  167 

"For  us  in  the  world  there  are  only  believers   "Believer." 

1        •  r      J         'J.     ^  J    Against  "Un» 

and  unbelievers ;  love,  chanty,  fraternity  toward  believers  •• 
beUevers;  contempt,  disgust,  hatred,  and  war 
against  unbeHevers.  Amongst  unbeUevers  the 
most  hateful  and  criminal  are  those  who,  while 
recognizing  God,  attribute  to  him  earthly  rela- 
tionships, give  him  a  son,  a  mother.  Learn 
then,  European  observers,  that  a  Christian  of 
no  matter  what  position,  from  the  simple  fact 
that  he  is  a  Christian,  is  in  our  eyes  a  bhnd  man 
fallen  from  all  human  dignity.  Other  infidels 
have  rarely  been  aggressive  toward  us.  But 
Christians  have  in  all  times  shown  themselves 
our  bitterest  enemies.  .  .  .  The  only  ex- 
cuse you  offer  is  that  you  reproach  us  with 
being  rebelHous  against  your  civiUzation.  Yes, 
rebeUious,  and  rebellious  till  death!  But  it  is 
you,  and  you  alone,  who  are  the  cause  of  this. 
Great  God!  are  we  bhnd  enough  not  to  see  the 
prodigies  of  your  progress?  But  know,  Chris- 
tian conquerors,  that  no  calculation,  no  treasure, 
no  miracle  can  ever  reconcile  us  to  your  impious 
rule.  Know  that  the  mere  sight  of  your  flag 
here  is  torture  to  Islam's  soul;  your  greatest 
benefits  are  so  many  spots  sullying  our  con- 
science, and  our  most  ardent  aspiration  and 
hope  is  to  reach  the  happy  day  when  we  can 
efface  the  last  vestiges  of  your  accursed  em- 
pire." 


i68 


The  Moslem  World 


The  Answer 
of  Sacrificial 
Love 


In  view  of  such  an  attitude  on  the  part  of 
some  of  the  leaders  of  Islam,  Christendom  must 
answer  it  with  the  old  story  of  the  gospel,  and 
in  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ  who  prayed  for 
those  that  nailed  him  to  the  cross:  "Father 
forgive  them  for  they  know  not  what  they  do." 
The  unselfishness  of  sacrificial  love  must  be 
manifested  in  the  work  of  missions,  that  we  may 
win  the  love  of  men  like  Abd  ul  Hak,  in  spite  of 
their  hatred  toward  us.     We  must, 

"Through  the  promise  on  God's  pages, 
Through  his  work  in  history's  stages, 
Through  the  cross  that  crowns  the  ages, 
Show  his  love  to  them." 


How  Faith 
can  be  Trium- 
phant 


Islam  as  a  religion  is  doomed  to  fade  away 
in  time  before  the  advance  of  humanity,  civili- 
zation, and  enHghtenment ;  but  whether  its 
place  will  be  taken  by  atheism,  by  some  new 
false  religion,  or  by  the  faith  of  Christ,  depends, 
humanly  speaking,  upon  the  measure  of  our 
devotion  to  our  Lord  and  our  consciousness  of 
the  Moslem's  need  of  him.  There  are  many 
factors  in  this  great  problem  of  Moslem  evan- 
gelization. Whether  we  look  at  the  lost  oppor- 
tunities because  of  neglect  in  the  past,  or  turn 
to  the  greater  opportunities  of  to-day ;  whether 
we  consider  the  extent  of  Islam,  or  its  character, 
the  problem  is  so  colossal  that  we  are  shut  up 


THE  AMERFCAV  MISSIOV  HOME.CAfRO.EGYPT 


a 


1  SYRIAN  PROTESmNT  COLLEGE,  BEIRUT, SYRIA  r 


□ 


Present  Problem  and  Peril  169 

to  faith  in  God.  **A11  things  are  possible  to  him 
that  beheveth."  "By  faith  the  walls  of  Jericho 
fell  down,  after  they  had  been  compassed  about 
for  seven  days." 

In  a  previous  chapter  we  have  read  some-  occupied  and 
thing  ol  the  work  of  missions  in  lands  hke  Lands"^*^ 
Egypt,  Turkey,  India,  Sumatra,  Java,  and 
Syria,  where  for  many  years  the  Moslem  popu- 
lations have  come  more  or  less  in  contact  with 
missions.  These  lands  and  others  more  re- 
cently entered  may  in  a  sense  be  considered 
occupied.  Yet  there  is  not  a  single  one  of  them 
where  the  total  number  of  laborers  is  in  any 
sense  adequate  to  the  work  of  evangelization. 
In  Egypt,  for  example,  only  a  small  fraction 
of  the  Moslem  population  is  reached  in  any 
way  by  the  gospel  to-day.  The  unoccupied 
lands  and  regions  are  those  where  nothing  has 
yet  been  done  and  where  there  are  neither  mis- 
sion stations  nor  mission  workers.  These  are 
the  darkest  parts  of  the  Moslem  world. 

Perhaps  a  more  distinctive  classification  of  threefold 

*«-      1  1         -I      .        I  •  -         T^       T-r-r    .  <  Classification 

Moslem  lands  is  that  given  by  Dr.  Weitbrecht. 
He  groups  them  into  three  classes: 

I.  The   lands  where   Islam   is   dominant   or  isiam 
greatly  in  the  majority  and  has  been  long  es- 
tabHshed.      Such    are    north    Africa,    Arabia, 
Turkey,    Persia,    and    central    Asia,    including 
Afghanistan.     In  these  lands  the  remnants  of 


Dominant 


170 


The  Moslem  World 


Islam  Amid 
Masses  of 
Paganism 


the  Christian  Churches,  where  they  exist  at  all. 
have  been  worn  out  by  centuries  of  oppression, 
and  though  they  have  not  abandoned  their 
faith,  they  do  not  preach  it  to  Moslems,  and 
almost  fear  to  admit  a  Moslem  convert.  Sus- 
picion too  often  takes  the  place  of  that  perfect 
love  which  casts  out  fear.  And  wherever  Mos- 
lem rule  obtains  in  these  lands  there  is  no 
liberty  to  confess  Christ,  and  the  life  of  each 
convert  from  Islam  is  in  daily  jeopardy.  Yet 
educational,  medical,  and  literary  v/ork  for 
Moslems  has  proved  possible  where  it  has 
been  tried.  All  these  forms  of  effort  should  be 
pushed,  therefore,  to  their  utmost  and  new 
centers  rapidly  occupied, 

2.  The  lands  of  ancient  pagan  civilization, 
where  Islam  has  been  modified  by  contact  with 
cultured  paganism  and  where  Moslems  are  in 
the  minority.  Such  are  India  and  China.  In 
India  there  have  been  many  converts,  and  a 
considerable  literature  has  been  prepared  for 
Moslems,  but  the  unique  opportunities  for  di- 
rect missionary  effort  have  not  been  fully  met. 
With  the  largest  Mohammedan  population  of 
any  country  on  the  globe  before  them,  the 
missions  in  India  are  vitally  concerned  in  the 
Mohammedan  missionary  problem  and  should 
lead  all  lands  in  its  solution.  In  China  we  have 
to  confess  that  in  view  of  the  appalling  pagan 


Present  Problem  and  Peril  171 

population  of  the  empire  special  work  among  its 
thirty  million  Moslems  is  almost  non-existent. 

3.  The  border  marches  of  Islam  in  Africa  and  isiam  and 
Malaysia.  Here  we  have  to  do  with  masses  of  prontfe^r^" 
newly  converted  tribes  on  the  pagan  frontiers, 
where  "it  is  often  hard  to  tell  just  where  pagan- 
ism ceases  and  Islam  begins.  Those  who  profess 
Islam  still  worship  their  fetishes  and  cling  to 
rum."  In  these  lands  we  are  face  to  face  with 
one  of  the  greatest  responsibilities  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church. 

Among  the  countries  occupied  perhaps  the  importance 
most  notable  is  Egypt.  In  lower  Egypt  the  °  ^^^* 
Moslems  form  about  ninety-eight  per  cent,  of 
the  population  and  in  tipper  Egypt  about  eighty- 
eight  per  cent.  The  need  of  the  country  is  there- 
fore the  need  of  the  Moslems.  Egypt  is  under 
British  rule  and  connected  by  regular  rail  and 
steamboat  service  with  distant  points  in  Africa. 
Cairo  is  the  literary  capital  of  the  Mohammedan 
world,  and  large  publishing  firms  print  the 
Koran  and  other  books.  Over  one  half  of  all 
the  Arabic  newspapers  in  the  world  are  printed 
in  Cairo.  Says  Dr.  H.  O.  Dwight:  "As  rapidly 
as  experts  trained  in  Koranic  lore  can  be  edu- 
cated for  the  reinforcement  of  the  workers  now 
on  the  ground,  the  Christian  Church  should 
drive  a  wedge  into  this  outwork  of  the  great 
stronghold." 


172 


The  Moslem  World 


Reinforcing  Thc  Strategic  centers  of  Moslem  population, 

Center^  ^^^^  givcn  in  the  last  chapter/  are  also  many  of 
them,  because  of  their  geographical  position, 
commercial  centers,  and  stand  at  the  cross- 
roads of  international  communication  between 
Moslem  lands.  The  importance  of  massing  our 
spiritual  forces  here  cannot  be  overestimated. 
A  book  sold  at  Cairo  may  be  read  by  the  camp- 
fires  of  the  Sahara,  in  the  market-place  of 
Timbuktu  or  under  the  very  shadow  of  the 
Kaaba.  Were  a  strong  mission  established  for 
the  Mohammedans  of  Bombay,  its  influence 
would  reach  far  along  the  coast  of  India  and  to 
the  Moslem  traders  of  Malabar  and  Ceylon. 
These  strategic  centers  are  an  appeal  for  im- 
mediate reinforcement  and  a  call  to  come  to 
the  help  of  those  who,  often  single-handed, 
are  fighting  against  fearful  odds  and  still 
winning  the  battle  inch  by  inch. 
Fields  of  And  what  shall  we  say  of  those  lands  where 

for  HercfisnT  Mohammed's  rule  has  never  yet  been  chal- 
lenged and  where  vast  areas  are  without  any 
missionary;  where  the  cross  has  never  yet 
met  the  challenge  of  the  crescent?  Surely,  if 
anywhere  in  the  world,  here  is  opportunity. 
The  very  dangers,  loneliness,  and  hardships 
of  such  pioneer  fields  will  irresistibly  attract 
men  and  women  of  heroic  stamp. 

~iP.  154. 


Present  Problem  and  Peril  173 

"So  nigh  is  grandeur  to  our  dust, 
So  near  is  God  to  man, 
When  duty  whispers,  'Lo!  thou  must,* 
The  youth  repHes,  'I  can.' " 

Beginning  with  Africa,  the  following  areas  are  vast  unoccu- 
unoccupied  by  missions.    In  the  central  Sudan,   ^^^ 
one  of  the   most   densely  populated  portions  of 
Africa,  are  these  States   (larger  some  of  them 
than  New  York,  Wisconsin,  or  Ohio)  waiting 
for  the  gospel: 


The  Land 

The  Size  of 

Gov'm't 

Missionarie 

Kordofan 

Korea 

British 

None 

Darfur 

France 

British 

None 

Wadai 

[  Italy  and 
1  Ireland 

■  French 

None 

'  Switzerland 

•  French 

1  Holland 

Bagirmi 

Belgium 

None 

1      and 

J 

[  Tasmania 

Kanem 

i  Greece  and 
!  Denmark 

j-  French 

None 

Adamawa 

[  Turkey  in 
I  Europe 

German  and 
British 

■None 

Bomu 

England 

British 

None 

Sokoto 

( 

Austria 
[  Scotland 

British 

.  5  c.  M.  g» 

workers 

Gando                 -j 

and 
1  Ireland 

>- British 

None 

Nupe 

Bulgaria 

British 

j  6  Canadian 
t     workers. 

"Taking  the  parallel  of  latitude  that  would  Tremendous 
touch  the  northern  bend  of  the  Niger  as  the  sJdft "  *^^ 
northern  limit,  and  that  which  would  touch 
the  northern  bend  of  the  Congo  as  the  southern 
limit,  and  modifying  these  boundaries  at  either 
side  of  the  continent  so  as  to  omit  the  mission 
stations  on  the  West  Coast  and  on  the  upper 


174 


The  Moslem  World 


Decades  of 
Destiny 


Unreached 
Lands  in  Asia 


courses  of  the  Nile,  we  find  a  territory  about 
equal  to  that  of  the  United  States,  and 
densely  populated,  without  a  single  representa- 
tive of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  With  a  mis- 
sion station  just  established  by  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church  of  North  America  on  the 
Sobat  River,  of  the  Upper  Nile  basin,  and 
with  the  stations  opened  by  the  Church  Mis- 
sionary Society  and  the  United  Sudan  Mission 
in  the  Niger  basin,  1,500  miles  to  the  west,  the 
situation  presented  is  as  if  the  United  States,  wit  It 
her  87,000,000  of  people,  had  one  missionary  in 
Maine  and  another  in  Texas,  and  no  gospel  in- 
fluence between.'"'^ 

If  Dr.  Kumm's  estimates  are  trustworthy, 
this  great  destitute  district  of  the  Sudan,  one 
of  the  most  strategic  and  the  most  important 
unoccupied  territories  in  the  world ,  has  a  popu- 
lation of  at  least  fifty  millions.  And  yet  only 
eleven  missionaries  are  found  in  the  entire 
area,  namely,  at  Sokoto  and  Nupe.  All  of  the 
other  lands  are  destitute.  Within  twenty  years 
it  will  be  settled  whether  Islam  or  Christianity 
shall  be  dominant  and  triumphant.  All  the 
indications  now  are  that  Islam  is  fast  winning 
the  field. 

Turning  from  darkest  Africa  to  Asia,  we  find 


1  W.  S.  Naylor,  "Unoccupied  Mission  Fields  in  Africa,"  Missionary 
Review  of  the  World.  March,  1906. 


Present  Problem  and  Peril  175 

in  this  continent  a  situation  hardly  less  needy 
and  with  even  greater,  because  more  varied, 
opportunity.  In  Asia  the  following  lands  and 
areas    of   Moslem   population    are   still   wholly 

unreached: 

Estimated 

Moslem 
Population 

Afghanistan 3,982,448 

Baluchistan  ^ 750,000 

Hejaz,    Hadramaut,    Nejd    and    El    Hasa 

(Arabia) 3 ,000,000 

Southern  Persia 2,500,000 

Russia  in  Caucasus 2,000,000 

Russia  in  Central  Asia 3,000,000 

Bokhara  * 1,200,000 

Khiva ■ ; 800,000 

Mindanao  (Philippines) 250,000 

Siberia  (East  and  West) 6,100,000 

China  (unreached  sections) 20,000,000 

43,582,448 

These  unevangelized  millions  in  Asia,  all  of  ^  ^^* 
them  under  the  yoke  of  Islam,  are  a  challenge 
to  faith,  and  in  some  cases  a  rebuke  for  the 
neglect  of  the  Church.  Kafiristan,  one  of  the 
five  provinces  of  Afghanistan,  is  a  sad  exam- 
ple. *'It  was  a  sorrowful  day  for  them,"  writes 
Colonel  G.  Wingate,  "when  by  a  stroke  of  the 
pen  in  the  British  Foreign  Office  eleven  years 

1  Has  one  mission  station  at  Quetta, 

2  Work  just  begun  at  one  station. 


176  The  Moslem  World 

ago  their  country  was  brought  within  the 
boundaries  of  Afghanistan.  At  last  the  Kafirs 
were  the  subjects  of  the  Ameer.  In  consulta- 
tion with  Ghulam  Haider,  his  commander-in- 
chief,  he  determined  to  convert  them  and  bring 
them  into  the  fold  of  Islam.  The  distasteful 
offices  of  the  mullah  were  offered  at  the  muzzle 
of  the  breech-loader,  the  rites  of  the  Moham- 
medan belief  were  enforced  upon  an  unwilling 
people,  mosques  took  the  place  of  temples,  the 
Koran  and  the  traditions  of  the  caliphate 
would  be  the  spiritual  regeneration  of  the  pagan 
Kafir.  Yet  twenty-five  years  ago  a  message 
from  the  Kafirs  of  the  Hindu  Kush  stirred  the 
Christian  Church;  they  asked  that  teachers 
might  be  sent  to  instruct  them  in  the  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ.  It  is  a  sad  example  of  how  an 
opportunity  may  be  lost,  for  to-day  there  is 
imposed  between  the  ambassador  for  Christ 
and  the  eager  Kafir  the  hostile  aggression  of  a 
Mohammedan  power  intensely  jealous  of  the 
entrance  of  the  foreigner." 
The  Philip-  The  Mohammcdans  now  under  the  American 

China  "^^*^'  ^^S  ^^  ^hc  Philippine  Islands  have  a  special 
claim  on  the  American  Churches.  And  who 
can  tell  whether  tactful,  loving  labor  among 
them  would  not  be  rewarded  with  a  speedy 
harvest  of  souls,  as  was  the  case  among  the 
Moslems  of  Sumatra?     "The  isles  shall  wait  for 


Present  Problem  and  Peril  177 

his  law."  And  who  will  take  up  the  burden  of 
Islam  in  Russia  and  China  with  a  total  number 
of  Mohammedans  in  these  two  empires  of 
forty-five  millions? 

Lastly,  there  are  great  and  effectual  doors  to  Nothing  too 
be  opened  where  there  are  many  adversaries —  Prayer°' 
pioneer  fields  that  await  heroic  faith — in  Arabia, 
in  Persia,  in  Afghanistan,  in  central  Asia. 
Nothing  is  too  hard  for  prayer  and  lives  laid 
down  in  loving  service  to  accomplish.  "The 
things  which  are  impossible  with  men  are  pos- 
sible with  God."  "If  neither  treaties  nor  fron- 
tiers can  exclude  the  pioneers  of  trade  or  the 
artificers  of  workshops,  or  the  physician  and 
surgeon,"  says  Colonel  G.  Wingate,  "how 
much  less  should  such  barriers  avail  to  shut 
out  that  gospel  which  hath  a  pathway  of  its 
own  across  the  mountain  ranges  into  forbidden 
territory,  moving  from  heart  to  heart,  in  a  man- 
ner that  rulers  cannot  restrain,  and  bringing  to 
the  sin-sick  soul  peace  and  to  the  weary  rest." 

The  problem  of  evangehzing  the  Moslem  Aggressivt 
peoples  of  Africa  and  Asia  is  not  only  a  vast 
one  and  one  too  long  neglected,  but  an  urgent 
one.  Islam  is  aggressive  and  is  to-day  over- 
running districts  once  pagan.  Its  numbers  are 
increasing  in  Bengal,  Burma,  southern  India, 
the  East  Indies,  west  Africa,  Uganda,  the  Congo 
basin,  Abyssinia,  and  on  the  Red  Sea  coast. 


Islam 


1 78  The  Moslem  World 

Rival  Forces  In  west  Africa  and  Nigeria  missionaries  speak 
in  West  Africa  ^^  ^  "Mohammedan  peril."  They  say  every 
effort  should  be  made  to  forestall  the  entrance 
of  Islam  into  the  borderlands,  before  this  reHgion 
renders  evangelization  tenfold  more  difficult 
than  it  is  among  African  pagans.  In  western 
Africa  Islam  and  Christianity  between  them 
are  spoiling  heathenism  and  will  probably 
divide  the  pagan  peoples  in  less  than  fifty  years. 
The  Rising  Pastor  F.  Wurz  states  that  the  vsituation  on 

GoldCoa^t^  the  Gold  Coast  is  alarming.  In  one  village  a 
native  preacher,  v/ith  his  entire  congregation, 
went  over  to  Islam.  "Missions  will  scarcely  be 
able  to  prevent  the  entrance  of  Islam  among 
a  single  tribe,  much  less  into  large  districts. 
Islam  is  spreading  with  the  certainty  and  irre- 
sistibleness  of  a  rising  tide.  The  only  question 
is  whether  it  will  still  be  possible  for  missions  to 
organize  Christian  Churches  like  breakwaters, 
able  to  resist  the  flood  and  outweather  it,  or 
whether  evervthing  will  be  carried  away  head- 
long." 
Now  or  Never  'pj^g  Sudan  United  Mission  calls  the  attention 
Lands  of  Christendom  to  the  present  crisis  in  Hausa- 

land.  All  the  heathen  populations  of  the  cen- 
tral Sudan  will  go  over  to  Islam  unless  the 
Church  awakes  to  its  opportunity.  It  is  now 
or  never;  it  is  Islam  or  Christ.  And  there  are 
other  lands  where  the  crisis  is  equally  acute. 


Present  Problem  and  Peril  179 

though  not  extended  over  as  large  an  area  as  in 
Africa.  In  regard  to  portions  of  Baluchistan, 
we  are  told  that  the  inhabitants  are  still  only 
nominal  Mohammedans  and  not  bigoted.  'They 
will  listen  now,  but  in  a  few  years  they  will  have 
become  fanatical." 

In  Borneo  there  is  a  special  call  for  workers  ^°  Borneo  and 
among  the  heathen,  who  are  not  yet  Moham- 
medan, but  are  in  danger  of  speedily  becoming 
such  through  the  influence  of  Mohammedan 
Malays,  by  whom  they  are  surrounded.  In 
India  there  are  to-day  a  multitude  of  low- 
caste  people,  especially  in  Bengal,  who  will 
shortly  become  Moslems  or  Christians.  Ten 
millions  in  Bengal  have  become  Moslems  al- 
ready, according  to  the  testimony  of  Bishop 
Warne. 

On  the  other  hand,  Islam  itself  is  alarmed,  Islam's  Efforts 
and  in  many  parts  of  the  world  there  is  a  feeling 
that  something  must  be  done  to  save  the  faith 
of  the  prophet.  In  India  they  are  forming  so- 
cieties for  the  defense  of  Islam. ;  they  are  estab- 
lishing presses  for  the  production  of  literature 
to  propagate  their  faith;  they  are  copying  mis- 
sionary methods  and  engaging  Moslem  preachers 
to  counteract  the  work  of  Christian  missions. 
They  use  the  substance  of  infidel  literature  from 
Europe  and  America  and  articles  on  the  higher 
criticism  to  prove  that  Christianity  is  not  true 


at  Defense 


i8o  The  Moslem  World 

and  that  its  leaders  are  not  agreed  on  the  funda- 
mentals of  its  teaching.  What  will  be  the 
issue  if  the  Mohammedan  propagandists  in 
Africa,  as  well  as  those  in  India  begin  to  use 
the  methods  of  Christian  missions?  The  situa- 
tion is  one  full  of  peril  to  the  native  Church 
itself  in  that  continent,  and  every  mission  in 
Africa,  north  of  the  equator,  will  be  compelled 
sooner  or  later  to  do  direct  work  for  Moslems 
or  imperil  its  very  existence. 
Dangerous  A  writer  in  Uganda  Notes  gives  the  same  tes- 

ug"nda^  *"  timony.  "As  far  as  Uganda  itself  is  concerned, 
Islam  is,  of  course,  infinitely  less  a  power  than 
it  once  was,  when  in  the  troublous  early  days  of 
Christianity  it  threatened  to  overwhelm  the 
combined  heathen  and  Christian  forces  arrayed 
against  it.  But  it  is  not  only  from  the  north 
that  the  followers  of  Islam  are  threatening  an 
invasion.  From  the  eastern  side  the  railway 
has  brought  us  into  intimate  association  with 
coast  influence;  Swahilis  and  Arabs  coming  up 
the  line  leave  Islamism  in  their  wake,  for  almost 
every  Moslem  is  more  or  less  of  a  missionary  of 
his  faith.  Would  that  the  same  might  be  said 
of  Christians!  Not  a  few  Moslems  are  holding 
important  positions  in  Uganda,  while  the  larger 
number  of  those  in  authority  in  Usoga  are,  or 
were  till  quite  recently,  also  Mohammedans. 
The  followers  of  the  false  prophet  have  a  great 


W^: 


«\'^'; 


■m  m 


♦#'  -♦ 


^'« 


I 


MOHAMMEDAN    HIGH  PRIESTS ,  bEADEUS  OF   THE 
CONSTITUTIONAU  REVOLT, in  TEHERAN,  PERSIA 


[/ 


COLLEGB  FOOTBMl,TfiAM,  GONSTANTINOPLE,TURKEY 


iJ  r 


Present  Problem  and  Peril  i8i 

influence  among  the  natives,  which  does  not 
give  promise  of  becoming  less  as  time  goes  on. 
There  is  a  distinct  danger  of  the  eastern  province 
becoming  nominally  Moslem  before  Christianity 
has  made  for  itself  a  favorable  impression  on  the 
minds  of  the  people.'* 

Another  indication  of  Moslem  activit}^  is  the  Pan-isiamism 
movement  known  as  Pan-Islamism.  This  term 
is  used  by  Moslems  themselves  to  describe  the 
political  and  social  combination  of  all  Moslems 
throughout  the  world  to  defy  and  to  resist  the 
Christian  Powers.  For  several  years  back  the 
Moslem  press  of  Constantinople  has  carried  on  a 
crusade  against  all  Christian  nations  that  rule  Mo- 
hammedans. In  India,  in  Africa,  in  the  Malay 
Archipelago,  the  faithful  are  exhorted  .to  hold 
themselves  in  readiness  for  the  coming  conflict. 
Some  papers  in  Egypt  take  pains  to  publish  all 
real  or  alleged  cases  of  oppression  practised  upon 
the  followers  of  Mohammed.  The  Dutch  Gov- 
ernment once  prohibited  them,  but  thousands 
of  copies  are  still  smuggled  into  the  colonies. 
Associations  bearing  the  name  Pan-Islamic  are 
said  to  exist  in  London,  Paris,  Geneva,  the 
United  States,  and  other  foreign  countries.  How 
far  their  organization  is  developed  in  Moslem 
lands  is  uncertain,  but  there  are  a  dozen  publi- 
cations devoted  to  their  propaganda,  six  of 
these  appearing  in  Cairo. 


1^2 


The  Moslem  World 


Statement  by 
Lord  Cromer 


Attempt  to 
Revivify 
Primitive 
Regulations 


A  masterly  statement  of  the  real  aims  and 
character  of  Pan-Islamism  is  given  by  Lord 
Cromer.  He  says:  "In  the  first  place  it  means 
in  Egypt  more  or  less  complete  subserviency  to 
the  Sultan.  ...  In  the  second  place,  Pan-Islam- 
ism almost  necessarily  connotes  a  recrudescence 
of  racial  and  religious  animosity.  Many  of  its 
adherents  are,  I  do  not  doubt,  inspired  by 
genuine  religious  fervor.  Others,  again,  whether 
from  indifference  verging  on  agnosticism,  or 
from  political  and  opportunist  motives,  or — as 
I  trust  may  sometimes  be  the  case — ^from  having 
really  assimilated  modern  ideas  on  the  subject 
of  religious  toleration,  would  be  willing,  were 
such  a  course  possible,  to  separate  the  politi- 
cal from  the  religious,  and  even  possibly  from 
the  racial  issues.  If  such  are  their  wishes  and 
intentions,  I  entertain  very  little  doubt  that 
they  will  make  them  impossible  of  execution. 
Unless  they  can  convince  the  Moslem  masses  of 
their  militant  Islamism,  they  will  fail  to  arrest 
their  attention  or  to  attract  their  sympathy. 
Appeals,  either  overt  or  covert,  to  racial  and 
religious  passions  are  thus  a  necessity  of  their 
existence  in  order  to  insure  the  furtherance  of 
their  political  program. 

"In  the  third  place,  Pan-Islamism  almost 
necessarily  connotes  an  attempt  to  regenerate 
Islam  on  Islamic  Hnes — in  other  words,  to  re- 


Present  Problem  and  Peril  183 

vivify  and  stereotype  in  the  twentieth  century 
the  principles  laid  down  more  than  a  thousand 
years  ago  for  the  guidance  of  a  primitive  society. 
Those  principles  involve  a  recognition  of  slavery, 
laws  regulating  the  relations  of  the  sexes  which 
clash  with  modern  ideas,  and,  what  is  perhaps 
more  important  than  all,  that  crystallization  of 
the  civil,  criminal,  and  canonical  law  into  one 
immutable  whole,  which  has  so  largely  con- 
tributed to  arrest  the  progress  of  those  countries 
whose  populations  have  embraced  the  Moslem 
faith." 

So  well  agreed  are  the  statesmen  of  Europe   Political 

11  r      1  •  r         Dynamite 

m  regard  to  the  power  of  this  movement  for 
evil  that  a  well-known  African  traveler,  writing 
on  the  political  ascendancy  of  Germany,  used 
these  significant,  though  rash,  words:  "There  is 
one  factor  which  might  fall  on  our  side  of  the 
balance  and  in  the  case  of  a  world-war  might 
be  made  useful  to  us:  that  factor  is,  Islam.  As 
Pan-Islamism  it  could  be  played  against  Great 
Britain  as  well  as  against  the  French  Repubhc; 
and  if  German  policy  is  bold  enough,  it  can 
fashion  the  dynamite  to  blow  into  the  air  the 
rule  of  the  Western  Powers  from  Cape  Nun 
(Morocco)  to  Calcutta." 

Remembering  the  career  of  Abd  ul  Wahab  in   ^^^^^^s 

^  Spiritual 

Arabia  and  of  the  Mahdi  at  Khartum,  and  know-  Aspects  of  the 
ing  the  present  activity  of  the  Senusi  Dervish  Movement 


1 84  The  Moslem  World 

orders,  the  Pan-Islamites  must  not  be  too  sure 
that  the  spirit  they  are  evoking  in  the  Dark 
Continent  among  savage  tribes  is  one  that  will 
remain  under  their  control!  Lord  Cromer  may 
be  right  when  he  says,  *'I  am  skeptical  of  Pan- 
Islamism  producing  any  more  serious  results 
than  sporadic  outbursts  of  fanaticism."  And 
yet  there  are  latent  forces  in  Jslam  because  of 
its  very  character  and  historic  ideals  that  once 
let  loose  may  work  disaster  and  death  to  Chris- 
tians and  to  mission  work.  We  must  evangelize 
the  Mohammedan  world  for  the  sake  of  Christen- 
dom. Lord  Cromer  goes  on  to  say:  "I  am  quite 
confident  of  the  power  of  Europe,  should  the 
necessity  arise,  to  deal  effectively  with  the 
material,  though  not  with  the  spiritual,  aspects 
of  the  movement." 
Pan-Evan-  The  Church  of  Christ  must  deal   with  these 

^^  **"^  spiritual  aspects.     We  must  meet  Pan-Islamism 

with  pan-evangeHsm.  "It  is  a  fight  for  hfe. 
We  have  got  to  conquer  them  or  they  will  con- 
quer us,"  so  said  Dr.  George  E.  Post,  of  Beirut, 
at  the  Centenary  Missionary  Conference.  ''There 
are  unknown  possibilities  in  that  great  continent. 
Who  knows  what  the  forces  of  Central  Asia  may 
yet  do  in  the  future?  Hear  the  parable  of  the 
locusts.  When  the  locust  appears  in  the  desert 
he  is  at  home.  He  is  contented  usually  with  its 
barrenness.     He  lays  his  eggs  in  the  sand.     He 


Present  Problem  and  Peril  185 

hatches  his  young  and  they  eat  the  bitter  and 
unpalatable  herbs  that  grow  in  the  few  moist 
spots  of  the  wilderness;  but,  at  certain  times, 
under  the  influence  of  unknown  causes  which 
science  cannot  fathom,  these  locusts  take  upon 
them  to  fly  over  the  cultivated  fields  and  the 
fair  provinces  of  the  empire.  At  such  a  time 
there  is  nothing  for  the  farmer  to  do  but  to  go 
out  and  find  the  places  where  they  have  laid 
their  eggs  in  the  soil.  They  dig  a  hole  a  few 
inches  in  depth  and  they  deposit  a  bag  contain- 
ing over  a  hundred  eggs.  Every  egg  is  a  locust 
and  every  locust  can  produce  one  hundred  eggs, 
and  these  locusts  sweep  Hke  a  devouring  prairie- 
fire  all  over  the  country,  leaving  nothing  but 
dead  vegetation  and  wailing  men  behind  them. 
We  must  go  down  to  the  locust's  home;  we  must 
go  into  Arabia;  we  must  go  into  the  Sudan;  we  must 
go  into  central  Asia;  and  we  must  Christianize 
these  people  or  they  will  march  over  their  deserts, 
and  they  will  sweep  like  a  fire  that  shall  devour 
our  Christianity  and  destroy  it.'' 


QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  VII 

Aim:  To  Realize  the  Present  Call  of  the  Field 
Unreached 

I.    Why  do  you  think  God  permits  a  task  of  such 


i86  The  Moslem  World 

difficulty  as  the  evangelization  of  Islam  to  con- 
front the  Christian  Church? 

2.  How  does  it  compare  with  what  we  have  to  do 
at  home? 

3.  What  are  the  lessons  to  us  of  the  faith  of  Mills  ? 

4.  Does  any  other  religion  show  on  a  large  scale 
such  hostility  as  is  exhibited  by  the  letter  of 
Abd  ul  Hak? 

5.  Try  to  reconstruct  for  yourself  the  reasons  that 
might  make  such  a  man  feel  as  he  does  toward 
Christianity. 

6.  In  what  way  do  you  think  it  would  be  possible 
to  approach  such  a  man? 

7.  What  are  the  special  reasons  for  missionary 
work  in  lands  where  Islam  is  dominant? 

8.  In  what  ways  are  missions  of  value  even  when 
no  professed  conversions  take  place? 

9.  What  would  be  the  effect  of  leaving  these  lands 
altogether  untouched  ? 

10.  What  are  the  special  reasons  for  missions  to 
Moslems  in  India  and  China? 

11.  How  do  Indian  and  Chinese  Moslems  compare 
in  numbers  with  the  population  of  the  United 
States? 

12.  Try  to  compare  the  efforts  that  have  been  put 
forth  for  these  Moslems  with  those  that  the 
people  of  the  United  States  have  received. 

13.  Can  you  find  any  justification  for  continuing 
this  disproportion  of  effort? 


14 


Present  Problem  and  Peril  187 

What  are  the  special  reasons  for  Christian  mis- 
sions on  the  border  marches  of  Islam? 
15      Compare   the   relative    strength   of   the   present 
forces  of  Islam  and  Christianity  on  the  border 
marches  in  Africa. 

16.  What  relation  has  God's  ability  to  save  by  many 
or  by  few  to  our  responsibility  to  provide  rem- 
forcements? 

17.  Have  we  any  more  right  to  expect  God  to  save 
by  a  few  on  the  foreign  field  than  at  home  ? 

18.  What  do  you  consider  the  main  strategic  cen- 
ters of  missions  to  Moslems? 
Give  all  the  reasons  you  can  why  missions  at 
these  points  would  be  more  effective  than  else- 
where. 

If  there  were  only  one  missionary  in  Maine  and 
one  in  Texas,  and  you  lived  in  Ohio,  what 
would    be    your    chance    of    ever    hearing    the 


19 


21 


23 


gospel  ^ 


For  what  reasons  would  you  have  a  much 
greater  chance  under  these  circumstances  in 
the  United  States  than  those  living  to-day  in 
the  Sudan? 

Give  all  the  reasons  you  can  why  the  present 
is  a  critical  time  for  missions  to  Moslems. 
If  we  could  be  certain  that  Islam  would  never 
spread  beyond  its  present  limits,  what  motives 
would  we  have  for  the  evangelization  of  the 
Moslem  world? 
24.  Sum  up  the  spiritual  resources  of  the  Christian 
Church  for  dealing  with  Pan-Islamism. 


1 88  The  Moslem  World 

25.  Try  to  estimate  the  responsibility  of  your  local 
church  for  the  solution  of  the  problem. 

26.  Try  to  estimate  your  own  personal  share  of  the 
responsibilicy. 


REFERENCES  FOR  ADVANCED  STUDY 
CHAPTER  VII 

For  more  detailed  information  on  this  chapter,  con- 
sult the  missionary  periodicals  and  the  books  indicated 
below : 

The  Mohammedan  World  of  To-Day.  Edited  by 
Drs.  Zwemer,  Wherry,  and  Barton. 

Our  Moslem  Sisters.  Edited  by  Annie  Van  Som- 
mer  and  Samuel  M.  Zwemer. 

Islam  and  Christianity  in  the  Far  East.  By  E.  M. 
Wherry. 


THE  DAY  OF  OPPORTUNITY 


189 


In  a  single  sentence  I  give  you  my  whole  exhortation 
(to  the  Mussulmans  of  India) :  acquire  knowledge — you 
hear  me,  acquire  knowledge.  I  say  it  a  third  time, 
acquire  knowledge.  Oh,  my  brothers,  remain  not 
ignorant,  or  what  is  worse,  remain  not  ignorant  of  your 
ignorance.  There  are  those  who  utter  solemn  warnings 
in  your  ears,  who  urge  that  Mohammedans  have  naught 
to  do  with  modern  philosophy,  and  who  declaim  against 
the  Western  sciences  as  against  evil.  I  am  not  among 
them.  ...  I  say,  pursue  knowledge  wherever  it 
is  to  be  found.  But  this  also  I  declare  with  all  the 
emphasis  at  my  command:  science  is  the  superstruc- 
ture, don't  mistake  it  for  the  foundation.  The  foun- 
dation must  always  be  religion.  .  .  .  Start  with 
the  heart,  and  when  that  is  secure  go  on  to  the  head. 
Some  would  like  to  finish  with  the  heart.;  they  are 
afraid  of  the  head,  but  they  are  wrong. 

— Ameer  of  Afghanistan 


190 


VIII 

THE  DAY  OF  OPPORTUNITY 

The  problem  and  the  peril  of  Islam  are  a  a  challenge 
challenge  to  Christian  faith,  and  not  a  cause  for  *°  ^^^*^ 
discouragement.  Those  who  have  tried  to 
reach  Mohammedans  with  the  gospel  message 
and  who  are  in  the  forefront  of  the  fight,  do  not 
call  for  retreat,  therefore,  but  for  reinforce- 
mients  and  advance.  They  know  that  in  this 
mighty  conflict  we  have  nothing  to  fear  save 
our  own  sloth  and  inactivity.  The  battle  is  the 
Lord's,  and  the  victory  will  be  his  also.  The 
love  of  Jesus  Christ,  manifested  in  hospitals,  in 
schools,  in  tactful  preaching,  and  incarnated 
in  the  lives  of  devoted  missionaries,  will  irre- 
sistibly win  Moslems  and  disarm  all  their 
fanaticism.  It  has  done  so,  is  doing  so,  and 
will  do  so  more  and  more  when  the  Church 
realizes  and  seizes  her  opportunities  in  the  Mos- 
lem world.  "Altogether  the  situation  as  re- 
gards work  among  Mohammedans,"  says  Dr. 
Rouse,  the  veteran  missionary  of  Bengal,  "is 
most  interesting  and  encouraging.  It  would 
191 


192  The  Moslem  World 

be  much  more  so  if  I  saw  any  sign  of  apprecia- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  Church  of  Christ  of  the 
special  opportunities  for  missionary  work  among 
Mohammedans  in  India  and  elsewhere.  Why 
should  we  not  attack  vigorously  when  the 
enemy  is  beginning  to  waver?" 
Evidence  of  The  evidcncc  of  these  special  opportunities 

Opportunities  ^^  found  on  every  hand.  First  of  all  we  see  that 
the  present  political  division  of  the  Moham- 
medan world  is  a  startHng  challenge  of  op- 
tunity.  When  we  remember  Lord  Curzon's  re- 
mark that  "the  Mohammedan  conception  of 
politics  is  not  so  much  that  of  a  State-Church 
as  of  a  Church-State,"  and  recall  what  we  have 
read  of  the  political  power  of  Islam  in  the  past, 
we  realize  how  great  has  been  the  change  in  a 
single  century.  The  map^  shows  how  the  area  of 
the  present  caliphate  has  dwindled  to  smaller 
proportions  than  it  was  at  the  time  of  Moham- 
med's death.  Over  two  thirds  of  the  Moslem 
world  is  now  under  Christian  rule  or  protection. 
Christian  rule  has  not  always  been  favorable 
for  the  spread  of  Christianity.  Sometimes  it 
is  painfully  neutral,  yet  it  means  generally  a 
free  press,  free  speech,  and  liberty  to  confess 
Christ.  Purely  Mohammedan  rule  means  an 
enslaved  press,  no  freedom  of  speech,  and  death 
for  the  apostate  from  Islam.    The  keys  to  every 


Day  of  Opportunity  193 

gateway  in  the  Moslem  world  are  in  the  political 
grasp  of  Christian  powers,  with  the  exception 
of  Mecca  and  Constantinople. 

Distances  and  dangers  have  become  less,  so  Distances  and 
that  the  journey  from  London  to  Bagdad  can  j^l^^^^l^ 
now  be  accomplished  with  less  hardship  and  in 
less  time  than  it  must  have  taken  Lull  to  go 
from  Paris  to  north  Africa.  Henry  Martyn 
spent  five  long  months  to  reach  Shiraz  from 
Calcutta ;  the  same  journey  can  now  be  made  in 
a  fortnight.  And  without  waiting  for  the  com- 
pletion of  the  railway  now  being  built  to  Mecca, 
a  missionary  could  visit  the  Holy  Cities  as  easily 
as  Lull  did  Tunis,  were  the  same  spirit  of  martyr- 
dom alive  among  us  that  inspired  him,  and  were 
it  a  wise  thing  to  do  so  now. 

Mindful  of  the  polyglot  character  of  Islam  Power  of  the 
and  of  the  fact  that  we  have  the  Bible,  at  least 
in  part,  in  every  Moslem  tongue,  what  mag- 
nificent opportunities  there  are  to-day  to  estab- 
lish, enlarge,  and  endow  mission  presses  in  the 
chief  Moslem  centers  of  learning  and  literature! 
Those  now  in  existence  are  overtaxed  with 
work  and  supported  in  a  half-hearted  fashion. 
They  clamor  for  men  and  means  to  meet  the  ^ 
demand  for  books  on  the  part  of  Mohammedans. 
Who  can  estimate  the  possibilities  of  the  Beirut 
press,  or  the  Nile  mission  press,  for  the  Arabic- 
speaking  world  if  either  one  had  a  million  dol- 


194 


The  Moslem  World 


Distribution 
of  Scripture 


lars?  In  the  Cliinese  language  there  is  a  large 
Mohammedan  literature,  but  only  three  Httle 
pamphlets  have  been  published  so  far  that  are 
specially  adapted  to  the  thirty  million  Moslems 
of  China.  Here  is  a  call  for  the  man  with  literary 
tastes  and  talent  for  languages. 

Then  there  is  the  world-wide  opportunity,  even 
in  the  most  difficult  fields,  for  the  distribution 
of  the  Word  of  God  among  Moslems  by  col- 
porteurs and  missionaries.  Not  without  reason 
does  the  Koran  always  speak  of  Christians  as 
"the  people  of  the  Book."  Ours  is  the  oppor- 
tunity to  prove  it  by  carrying  the  Book  to  every 
Moslem  in  the  world.  We  can  safely  leave  the 
verdict  on  the  Book  to  the  Moslem  himself. 
Last  year  there  were  issued  from  the  Christian 
presses  at  Constantinople  and  Beirut,  in  lan- 
guages read  by  Mohammedans,  over  fifty  mil- 
^n  pages  of  Christian  literature,  and  these 
books  are  not  printed  for  free  distribution,  but 
for  sale.  The  demand  for  Christian  literature 
is  everywhere  on  the  increase.  I  have  myself 
received  an  order  by  mail  at  Bahrein  from  a 
Moslem  at  Mecca  for  an  Arabic  reference  Bible 
and  a  concordance,  and  from  the  Beirut  press 
they  are  sending  Arabic  Scriptures  to  the  Mos- 
lems of  China. 
Value  of  The  opportunities  for  medical  mission  work 

Mission  Work  among  Moslems  are  very  great,  because  there  is 


Day  of  Opportunity  195 

a  demand  for  missionary  physicians  on  the  part 
of  Moslems  themselves,  and  of  all  the  methods 
adopted  by  Christian  missions  in  Moslem  lands 
none  have  been  more  successful  in  breaking 
down  prejudices  and  bringing  large  numbers  of 
people  under  the  sound  of  the  gospel.  The  work 
at  Shaikh  Othman,  Busrah,  and  Bahrein,  in 
Arabia;  at  Quetta,  in  Baluchistan,  and  at  Tanta, 
in  Egypt,  are  examples.  Regarding  the  latter 
place,  Dr.  Anna  Watson  reports  that  ninety 
per  cent,  of  the  cases  treated  are  Moslem  women, 
who  come  from  villages  scattered  far  and  wide, 
untouched  by  any  other  missionary  agency. 
The  medical  missionary  carries  a  passport  of 
mercy  which  will  gain  admission  for  the  truth 
everywhere.  All  of  the  vast  yet  unoccupied 
territory  in  the  Mohammedan  world  is  waiting 
for  the  pioneer  medical  missionary,  man  or 
woman.  Dr.  George  E.  Post  after  long  ex- 
perience in  Syria,  writes  of  this  work  as  follows: 
"There  is  a  language  which  all  can  understand 
and  which  carries  a  message  which  every  man 
cares  sooner  or  later  to  hear.  From  the  moment 
the  medical  missionary  sets  foot  on  his  chosen 
field,  he  is  master  of  this  universal  language, 
this  unspoken  tongue  of  the  heart,  and  is  wel- 
come to  the  home  of  strangers.  The  simple 
Arab  lifts  for  him  the  curtain  of  his  goat's-hair 
tent  and  bids  him  enter.     The  ruler  calls  him 


196  The  Moslem  World 

to  his  palace  and  the  rich  to  the  recesses  of  the 
zenana."  In  Arabia  and  Persia  the  medical 
missionary  is  welcomed  everywhere,  the  dis- 
pensaries are  crowded,  and  the  mission  hos- 
pitals full  of  patients. 
^^"  ^°^  In  many   Moslem  lands  there   are   unprece- 

work  dented  opportunities  for  educational  work.     The 

spread  of  the  new  Islam,  the  increase  of  journal- 
ism, the  political  ambitions  of  Pan-Islamism, 
and  the  march  of  civilization  are  all  uniting  to 
produce  a  desire  for  higher  education.  Yet 
while  there  are  seven  American  mission  col- 
leges in  the  Turkish  empire,  not  including 
Egypt,  Persia,  with  a  population  of  ten  million, 
has  not  a  single  missionary  college.  The  Rev. 
S.  M.  Jordan,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  U.  S.  A.,  writes:  "For  some  years  past  the 
Persian  Government  has  been  growing  liberal 
and  is  now  seeking  to  introduce  free  institutions. 
The  intelligent  classes  believe  that  constitu- 
tional government  and  Western  education  will 
do  for  Persia  what  they  have  done  for  Japan 
in  the  past  forty  years.  Education  has  become 
almost  a  fad,  and  the  Shah  professes  to  be  the 
leader  in  the  movement.  They  have  opened 
elementary  schools  for  themselves  and  are  seek- 
ing help  from  every  source.  Last  year  they 
brought  out  five  French  professors  to  teach  in 
the  imperial  college    in  Teheran.     What  that 


Day  of  Opportunity  197 

institution  amounts  to  was  well  summed  up  by 
one  of  these  teachers,  who  replied  to  my  in- 
quiry for  its  welfare:  'Oh,  it  is  half  a  pity  and 
half  a  farce.'  Some  time  ago  a  son-in-law  of  the 
Shah  remarked  to  one  of  our  missionaries:  'Why 
do  not  you  Americans  build  a  college  in  Teheran 
where  we  Persians  can  educate  our  sons?' 

"I  beHeve  that  the  world  has  never  seen  a  Persian  Needs 
greater  opportunity  to  influence  a  nation  at  its 
very  center  and  help  it  on  the  upward  path  than 
is  presented  to  us  in  the  Persian  capital.  It  is 
one  of  the  world's  strategic  points.  Shall  we 
not  occupy  it  with  an  institution  that  will  be  a 
source  of  light  and  civilization  and  moral  uplift 
for  the  whole  country?"  In  Persia  we  see  the 
disintegration  of  Islam,  socially,  intellectually, 
and  religiously.  A  great  seething  of  the  masses 
and  the  upheaval  of  the  very  foundations  are 
evidences  of  the  birth  of  a  new  Persia. 

Persia  is  only  a  typical  case.  There  are  other  Afghanistan, 
Moslem  lands  that  are  struggling  upward,  in 
spite  of  Islam,  toward  a  constitutional  govern- 
ment and  free  institutions.  The  addresses  made 
by  the  Ameer  of  Afghanistan  on  his  recent  visit 
in  India  were  a  plain  indication  of  an  intel- 
lectual daybreak,  even  beyond  the  Himalayas. 
And  what  an  opportunity  there  must  be  in  India 
for  the  ordinary  teacher  and  the  day-school 
when  the  census  returns  tell  us  that  ninety- 


Mecca 


198  The  Moslem  World 

five  per  cent,  of  the  Mohammedans  of  that 
country  are  illiterate!  Arabia,  so  long  typical 
of  the  stagnation  of  Islam  and  of  a  dead  ortho- 
doxy, a  country  at  the  very  antipodes  of  prog- 
ress, is  also  awakening.  Mission  work  has 
been  established,  and  has  not  only  gained  a 
foothold,  but  is  marching  on  inland.  The  Sul- 
tan is  building  a  railroad  from  Damascus  to 
Mecca,  and  in  191 2  the  Baldwin  locomotive 
will  screech  beside  the  Kaaba,  and  perhaps  the 
last  door  of  the  Moslem  world  will  be  opened. 
Mohammedan  It  scems  that,  unknown  to  the  Christian 
on  erence  a  ^qj.;[(J^  Conferences  of  Mohammedans  have  been 
held  to  discuss  the  decay  of  Islam.  The  first 
of  these  conferences  was  held  in  1899  at  Mecca. 
A  little  book  recently  published,  and  already 
in  its  second  edition,  contains  the  minutes  of 
this  meeting.  Twenty-three  leading  Moslems 
from  every  nation  under  heaven  met  for  this 
conference,  and  for  two  solid  weeks  discussed 
the  reasons  for  the  decline  of  their  religion  and 
the  means  by  which  the  tendency  could  be 
checked  and  new  life  imparted  to  the  faith. 
The  doctors  disagreed  as  to  the  remedy,  but 
they  unitedly  declared  that  there  were  no  less 
than  fifty-eight  reasons  for  the  dangerous  con- 
dition of  the  patient.  Some  of  the  reasons 
given  were:  the  doctrine  of  fatalism,  ascetic 
practices,  the  opposition  of  science,  the  rejec- 


Day  of  Opportunity  199 

tion  of  religious  liberty,  Ottoman  rule,  neglected 
education,  and  inactivity  due  to  the  hopeless- 
ness of  the  case. 

Word  has  just  come  that  a  second  gathering,  a  similar 
similar  to  that  at  Mecca,  was  held  in  the  Grand  caLo^"°^  ^* 
Continental  Hotel  of  Cairo,  November,  1907. 
All  the  learned  sheiks,  pashas,  and  beys  were 
present,  together  with  editors,  judges,  lawyers, 
and  other  notables.  A  distinguished  Moslem 
from  Russia  seems  to  have  been  the  leading 
speaker.  His  theme  was,  "The  Causes  of  the 
Decay  of  Islam."  In  the  course  of  his  address 
he  called  upon  Moslems  to  arise  from  their 
lethargy,  open  schools,  and  teach  all  the  chil- 
dren (how  untrue  to  Islam)  that  they  may  be 
able  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  new  age,  and 
urged  the  holding  of  a  Pan-Islamic  Congress 
to  consider  the  possible  revival  of  the  faith. 

And  then  there  are  also  great  spiritual  op-  a  More 
portunities  because  of  the  breaking  up  of  the  ^tti°u^e^* 
old  system  and  the  thirst  for  something  better 
and  higher.  From  every  quarter  comes  the 
testimony  that  the  attitude  of  Moslems  generally 
toward  Christianity  has  changed  for  the  better 
in  the  past  decade,  in  spite  of  the  frantic  efforts 
of  their  political  and  religious  leaders  to  bring 
about  a  reaction. 

In  India  Islam  has  abandoned,  as  untenable.  The  search  for 
controversial  positions  which  were  once  thought  and  Te^t^°° 


200  The  Moslem  World 

impregnable.  Instead  of  denying  the  integrity 
of  the  Bible  and  forbidding  its  use,  they  now 
read  it  and  write  commentaries  on  it.  Mighty 
and  irresistible  forces  are  at  work  in  Islam  itself 
to  prepare  the  way  for  the  gospel.  Thousands 
of  Moslems  have  grown  dissatisfied  with  their 
old  faith,  and  of  tens  of  thousands  it  is  true  that 
they  are  hungering  for  a  living  Mediator.  The 
Babis,  and  other  sects,  are  examples  of  this  un- 
conscious search  for  our  Redeemer,  whom  Mo- 
hammed and  the  Koran  have  so  long  eclipsed. 

"Far  and  wide,  though  all  unknowing, 
Pants  for  thee  each  human  breast; 
Human  tears  for  thee  are  flowing, 
Human  hearts  in  thee  would  rest." 

Cairo  Mission-  The  thought  of  a  world's  Conference  to  dis- 
ary  on  erence  ^^^^  ^^^  problems  of  Moslcm  evangcHzation  and 
meet  these  opportunities  had,  no  doubt,  often 
occurred  to  more  than  one  missionary  at  the 
front.  Missionaries  felt  that  at  none  of  the  great 
general  missionary  conferences  had  Islam  re- 
ceived such  breadth  of  treatment  and  careful 
attention  as  the  subject  and  the  crisis  demanded. 
Therefore,  after  much  consultation  with  mis- 
sionaries in  every  Mohammedan  land  and  with 
missionary  authorities  in  all  parts  of  the  world, 
the  Arabian  Mission,  in  1904,  opened  corre- 
spondence with  the  missions  in  Egypt,  and  steps 


Day  of  Opportunity  201 

were  taken  to  hold  a  general  conference  on  be- 
half of  the  Mohammedan  world  at  Cairo.  The 
conference  met  from  April  4  to  9,  1906,  and 
marked  a  forward  step  in  missions.  The  pres- 
ence of  sixty-two  representatives  from  twenty- 
nine  missionary  societies  in  Europe  and  America, 
with  nearly  an  equal  number  of  missionary 
visitors;  the  manifest  unanimity  of  spirit  in  all 
the  discussions;  the  printed  proceedings  of  the 
conference,  which  for  the  first  time  in  history 
give  a  survey  of  the  field ;  and  the  deeply  spirit- 
ual character  of  the  gathering — all  these  lead  to 
the  hope  that  this  conference  will  be  used  of 
God  as  a  means  of  arousing  the  Christian  Church 
to  more  energetic  and  systematic  effort  for  the 
millions  of  Islam.  An  appeal  by  the  conference 
was  sent  out  to  the  Church  at  large,  and  is  a 
challenge  to  faith,  coming  as  it  does  from  men 
and  women  who  have  given  of  their  strength 
and  their  service,  their  love  and  their  life,  to 
evangelize  these  Mohammedan  lands.  It  speaks 
for  itself: 

"The  great  needs  of  more  than  two  hundred  Reasons  for 
million  Mohammedans  and  the  present  prob- 
lems of  work  among  them,  laid  upon  the  hearts 
of  missionaries  in  several  countries,  led  to  the 
assembling  of  this  conference  of  delegates  from 
missions  in  Moslem  lands,  which  has  been 
sitting  at  Cairo  from  April  4  to  9,  1906. 


202 


The  Moslem  World 


Range  of 

Subjects 

Considered 


Appeal  to  the 
Church 


*'We  have  been  presented  with  a  series  of 
comprehensive  reviews  of  the  whole  Moham- 
medan world,  of  its  ethnic,  social,  religions,  and 
intellectual  conditions,  of  missionary  work  thus 
far  accomplished,  and  of  the  tasks  and  prob- 
lems still  presented  by  it  to  the  Christian  Church ; 
we  have  considered,  though  too  briefly,  some  of 
the  chief  methods  of  missionary  work  among 
Mohammedans,  in  preaching,  literature,  medi- 
cine, and  upbuilding  of  converts. 

"These  outstanding  facts  as  to  the  great  needs 
of  the  Mohammedan  world,  the  first-fruits  of  its 
evangelization,  and  the  openings  for  a  great  ad- 
vance in  bringing  the  gospel  to  Moslem^s,  have 
been  borne  in  upon  us  as  a  strong  call  from  God 
to  his  Church  in  the  present  day.  Coming  from 
many  Mohammedan  and  Christian  lands,  and 
dealing  with  varied  aspects  of  Islam,  we  unitedly 
and  urgently  call  upon  the  Christian  Church,  as 
represented  by  her  missionary  agencies,  for  a 
fresh  departure  in  the  energy  and  effectiveness 
of  her  work  among  Mohammedans.  We  ask 
that  it  may  be  strengthened  and  promoted: 
(i)  by  setting  apart  more  special  laborers  and 
by  giving  them  a  specialized  training;  (2)  by 
organizing  more  efficiently  the  production  and 
distribution  of  literature  for  Mohammedans; 
(3)  by  systematic  common  arrangements  for 
the  fresh  occupation  of  important  centers,  and 


Day  of  Opportunity  203 

the  more  effective  working  of  those  already  oc- 
cupied, and  for  forestalling  the  entrance  of 
Islam  into  territories  so  far  pagan.  With  this 
view  we  draw  the  attention  of  the  committees 
and  boards  to  the  volume  tinder  pubhcation, 
embodying  the  surveys  presented  to  the  con- 
ference, and  we  suggest  that  action  on  this 
basis  be  considered  by  the  meetings  held  in 
each  country  for  interdenominational  mission- 
ary action. 

'God  wills  it,  ^^ 
May  he  enable  us  to  do  his  will.' " 

Because  of  the  special  burden  and  curse  of  ^'^In^ 
degradation  that  rests  on  Mohammedan  woman-  Delegates 
hood,  the  women  delegates  pubHshed  an  addi- 
tional appeal,  which  reads: 

"We,  the  women  missionaries  assembled  at  special  Appeal 
the  Cairo  Conference,  would  send  this  appeal  on 
behalf  of  the  women  of  Moslem  lands  to  all  our 
sisters  in  the  home  Churches  of  Great  Britain, 
America,  Canada,  France,  Germany,  {Switzer- 
land, Denmark,  Norway,  Sweden,  Holland, 
Austraha,  and  New  Zealand. 

'♦While  we  have  heard  with  deep  thankful-  ^^^^°f^^^^ 
ness  of  many  signs  of  God's  blessing  on  the  Darkness 
efforts  already  put  forth,  yet  we  have  been 
appalled  at  the  reports  which  have  been  sent  in 
to  the  conference  from  all  parts  of  the  Moslem 
world,  showing  us  only  too  clearly  that  as  yet 


204 


The  Moslem  World 


Physical 
Sufferings  of 
Mohammedan 
Women 


Mental 
Sufferings 


Spiritual 
Sufferings 


Christ  the 
Only  Remedy 


but  a  fringe  of  this  great  work  has  been  touched. 
Our  hearts  have  been  wrung  as  we  have  listened 
to  statements  after  statements  of  sin  and  op- 
pression, and  have  realized  something  more  of 
the  almost  unrelieved  darkness  which  reigns  in 
the  lives  of  our  Moslem  sisters. 

"First:  Through  her  physical  sufferings,  such 
as  spring  from  the  evils  of  child  marriage ;  the 
unrestrained  power  of  the  men  of  the  family, 
whether  father,  brother,  husband,  or  son,  to 
beat  and  abuse  her;  her  powerlessness  to  escape 
or  plead  her  own  cause;  her  use  of  narcotics 
and  stimulants  not  to  be  wondered  at,  to  drown 
her  misery. 

"Second:  Her  mental  sufferings,  from  igno- 
rance and  a  sense  of  inferiority  and  degradation, 
from  the  continual  fear  of  being  divorced;  her 
fear  of  unseen  powers  of  evil,  and  of  death  and 
the  hereafter;  her  lack  of  real  love;  the  absence 
of  true  family  life,  which  blights  the  home  of 
both  parents  and  children;  and  her  suffering 
from  the  jealousy  which  is  inseparable  from 
polygamy. 

"Third:  Her  spiritual  suffering  and  anguish 
of  mind,  without  comfort  in  the  thought  of  God, 
who  is  to  her  only  a  hard  master  whose  injustice 
she  unconsciously  resents. 

"We  feel  that  an  outcry  against  the  cruelty 
and  injustice  of  men  is  not  Vie  way  to  meet 


Day  of  Opportunity  205 

these  evils.  There  is  no  remedy  but  to  bring 
the  women  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  died  to  save 
them  from  the  curse  pronounced  upon  them  as 
a  punishment  for  sin.  We  must  teach  her  by 
love  to  win  her  husband's  love,  and  by  deserv- 
ing it  to  win  his  respect,  believing  that  God  has 
given  to  every  man  the  capacity  to  love  his 
wife. 

"The  number  of  Moslem  women  is  so  vast —  ^^*^  ^""^^^ 

of  Effort 

not  less  than  one  hundred  million — that  any 
adequate  effort  to  meet  the  need  must  be  on  a 
scale  far  wider  than  has  ever  yet  been  attempted. 

"We  do  not  suggest  new  organizations,  but  Larger  work 
larger,  that  every  Church  and  board  of  missions  J^^^^j  *  *^ 
at  present  working  in  Moslem  lands  should  take 
up  their  own  women's  branch  of  the  work  with 
an  altogether  new  ideal  before  them,  deter- 
mining to  reach  the  whole  world  of  Moslem 
women  in  this  generation.  Each  part  of  the 
women's  work  being  already  carried  on  needs 
to  be  widely  extended — trained  and  consecrated 
women  doctors,  trained  and  consecrated  women 
teachers,  groups  of  women  workers  in  the  vil- 
lages, an  army  of  those  with  love  in  their  hearts, 
to  seek  and  save  the  lost.  And  with  the  will- 
ingness to  take  up  this  burden,  so  long  neg- 
lected, for  the  salvation  of  Mohammedan 
women,  even  though  it  may  prove  a  very  Cross 
of  Calva,ry  to  some  of  us,  we  shall  hear  our  Mas- 


2o6 


The  Moslem  World 


The  Crowning 
Challenge 


The  Kind  of 
Men  Needed 


ter's  voice  afresh,  "with  ringing  words  of  en- 
couragement:  'Have  faith  in  God.'  'Verily  I 
say  unto  you,  Whosoever  shall  say  unto  this 
mountain,  Be  thou  taken  up  and  cast  into  the 
sea;  and  shall  not  doubt  in  his  heart,  but  shall 
believe  that  what  he  saith  cometh  to  pass; 
he  shall  have  it!  Nothing  shall  be  impossible 
unto  you.'" 

These  urgent  appeals  from  living  mission- 
aries v^ho  fonn  the  long,  thin  line  on  the  fore- 
front of  battle  against  Islam  must  not  fall  on 
deaf  ears.  They  are  a  challenge  to  faith  and 
to  sacrifice.  They  are  a  call  for  immediate 
reinforcements,  for  more  laborers,  and  for  more 
efficient  preparation  in  those  sent  out. 

For  the  evangelization  of  the  Mohammedan 
world  we  need,  first  and  most  of  all,  men;  "the 
best  men,"  says  Dr.  Wherry,  "the  Church  can 
afford — ^men  who,  in  the  spirit  of  Henry  Martyn, 
Isidor  Loewenthal,  Ion  Keith-Falconer,  Bishop 
French,  Peter  Zwemer,  and  many  others  gone 
to  their  reward,  hold  not  their  lives  dear;  men 
who  carry  the  burden  of  these  millions  of  Mos- 
lems upon  their  hearts,  and,  with  Abraham  of 
old,  cry  out:  *0  that  Ishmael  might  live  before 
thee!'"  For  in  the  last  analysis  the  evangeH- 
zation  of  the  Mohammedan  world  depends, 
under  God,  on  a  band  of  volunteers  prepared  to 
do  pioneer  work  and  ready  to  sacrifice  life  itself, 


Day  of  Opportunity  207 

if  need  be,  to  enter  and  occupy  Moslem  lands. 
The  call  is  for  volunteers. 

The    mission   boards   and   societies   are   tak-  a  word- 
ing up  the  challenge  of  Islam;  will  the  young  ^^wiaTs^^m 
people  offer  their  lives  for  this  great  work? 

"The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war, 
A  kingly  crown  to  gain; 
His  blood-red  banner  streams  afar: 
Who  follows  in  his  train?" 

The  time  is  ripe  for  a  world-wide  spiritual 
crusade  for  the  conquest  of  Islam,  The  pro- 
phetic dreams  of  Raymund  Lull  and  of  Henry 
Martyn  await  fulfilment.  The  new  century  of 
American  foreign  missions  calls  for  a  new  vision 
of  the  Moslem  world  in  its  strength,  its  weak- 
ness, its  needs,  its  accessibility,  its  promise,  as 
well  as  in  its  antagonism,  to  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God.  "Father,  the  hour  is  come;  glorify  thy 
Son."  Christ's  rightful  glory  has  been  given  to 
Mohammed  for  many  ages  in  these  many  lands 
and  in  miUions  of  hearts.  Surely  our  Savior 
himself  is  waiting  to  see  of  the  travail  of  his 
soul  for  the  Moslem  world.  God  wills  it.  That 
was  the  battle-cry  of  the  old  Crusaders.  Yet 
there  was  a  thousandfold  more  enthusiasm  in 
the  dark  ages  to  wrest  an  empty  sepulcher  from 
the  Saracens  than  there  is  in  our  day  to  bring 
them  the  knowledge  of   a  living   Savior.     Shall 


2o8  The  Moslem  World 

we  take  up  that  cry  in  a  nobler  crusade  with 
the  sword  of  the  Spirit  ? 
An  Unbefitting       At   Bethlehem,  where   Christ  was  bom   Mo- 
contrast  hammed 's   name   is    called  from  minarets  five 

times  daily;  but  at  Mecca,  where  Mohammed 
was  born,  no  Christian  dares  to  enter.  Is  this 
to  be  the  measure  of  our  consecration?  Is  this 
the  extent  of  our  loyal  devotion  to  the  cause 
of  our  King?  His  place  occupied  by  a  usurper 
and  his  glory  given  to  another.  Shall  we  not 
arise  and  win  back  the  lost  kingdom?  Mis- 
sions to  Moslems  are  the  only  Christian  solution 
of  the  Eastern  question  and  of  the  Moslem  prob- 
lem everywhere. 
God  Wills  It  God  wills  it.  Let  our  rallying  cry  be:  "Every 
stronghold  of  Islam  for  Christ!"  God  wills  it; 
therefore  we  must  do  it.  God  wills  it ;  therefore 
he  will  accomplish  it.  God  wills  it;  therefore 
we  will  ask  him  to  do  it  speedily:  "Thy  king- 
dom come.  Thy  will  be  done,"  throughout  the 
Mohammedan  world. 

"Not  in  dumb  resignation 

We  lift  our  hands  on  high, 
Not  like  the  nerveless  fatalist, 

Content  to  trust  and  die; 
Our  faith  springs  like  the  eagle 

That  soars  to  meet  the  sun, 
And  cries  exulting  unto  thee : 

O  Lord!   Thy  will  be  done!'* 


Day  of  Opportunity  209 

QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  VIII 

Aim:  To  Realize  the  Present  Call  in  View  of  the 
Opportunity 

1.  Sum  up  the  needs  of  Islam  that  have  impressed 
you  most. 

2.  What  special  opportunities  are  created  by  the 
wide-spread  Christian  rule  over  Moslems? 

3.  Mention  some  regions  that  have  shifted  from 
Moslem  to  Christian  rule  during  the  last  century. 

4.  In  what  ways  is  our  responsibility  for  these 
countries  increased? 

5.  What  proportion  of  the  Moslem  world  has  now 
become  easily  accessible  from  the  physical 
standpoint? 

6.  How  do  the  facilities  for  travel  from  Christen- 
dom to  the  Moslem  world  compare  with  those 
within  the  Moslem  world? 

7.  What  present  opportunity  is  thus  created? 

8.  In  what  general  proportion  is  the  press  at  pres- 
ent at  the  disposal  of  Islam  and  Christianity? 

9.  Will  this  disproportion  probably  increase  or 
diminish? 

ID.  What  should  be  the  attitude  of  the  Christian 
press  toward  the  legitimate  political  and  educa- 
tional aspirations  of  Moslems? 

11.  What  opportunity  is  created  in  this  respect  by 
the  reactionary  attitude  of  orthodox  Islam? 

12.  What    suggestions    can   you    make    for   taking 


2IO  The  Moslem  World 

advantage  of  the  Moslem   willingness   to   read 
the  Bible? 

13.  What  practical  contribution  can  you  make  to- 
ward realizing  these  suggestions? 

14.  Why  are  the  opportunities  for  medical  work 
greater  than  ever  before? 

15.  Will  they  remain  equally  great  after  Moslems 
begin  to  establish  hospitals  of  their  own? 

16.  From  a  study  of  the  map,  try  to  estimate  in  a 
general  way  the  proportion  of  the  Moslem  world 
within  reach  of  the  advantages  of  modern  med- 
ical science. 

17.  What  lessons  as  to  the  value  of  education  have 
been  taught  to  the  Oriental  world  by  the  Russo- 
Japanese  war? 

18.  In  what  ways  does  a  school  exert  greater  in- 
fluence than  a  hospital? 

19  Mention  various  ways  in  which  a  Christian 
school  might  exert  an  influence  for  good  in  a 
Moslem  community. 

20.  What,  in  a  general  way,  is  the  relative  propor- 
tion under  the  control  of  Christianity  and  Islam 
of  teachers  equipped  with  modern  learning? 

21.  What  urgent  responsibility  for  Islam  does  this 
lay  upon  the  Christian  Church? 

22.  Under  what  circumstances  will  Islam  gain 
Western  learning,  if  the  Christian  Church 
neglects  its  present  opportunity? 

23.  What  recommendations  would  you  make  for 
meeting  the  physical  needs  of  Moslem  women? 


Day  of  Opportunity  211 

24.  What  recommendations,  for  meeting  their  men- 
tal needs? 

25.  What  recommendations,  for  meeting  their  spir- 
itual needs? 

26.  What  would  be  the  practical  requirements  for 
carrying  out  these   recommendations? 

27.  What  is  your  personal  share  of  responsibility 
for  meeting  these  requirements? 

28.  Is  the  evangelization  of  the  Moslem  world  a 
problem  that  can  safely  be  handed  on  to  the 
next  generation? 

29.  If  you  do  nothing  to  help  solve  it,  what  can  you 
expect  from  others? 


REFERENCES  FOR  ADVANCED  STUDY 
CHAPTER  VIII 

I.     Use  of  Literature. 

Dwight:  Constantinople  and  Its  Problems,  VII. 
Methods  of  Mission  Work  Among  Moslems,  V. 
Watson :  Egypt  and  the  Christian  Crusade,  209-217. 
Wherry:  Islam  and  Christianity  in  the  Far  East, 
140,  208. 

II.    Medical  Missions. 

Gollock:  River,  Sand,  and  Sun,  VIII. 

Methods  of  Alission  Work  Among  Moslems,  VI. 

Nweeya :  Persia,  the  Land  of  the  Magi,  XVII. 


212  The  Moslem  World 

Tracy :  Talks  on  the  Veranda,  XIV, 

Watson:  Egypt  and  the  Christian  Crusade,  232-236. 

III.  Educational  Work. 

Dwight:  Constantinople  and  Its  Problems,  VI. 
Gollock:  River,  Sand,  and  Sun,  V,  VII. 
Methods  of  Mission  Work  Among  Moslems,  II. 
Watson:  Egypt  and  the  Christian  Crusade,  225-231. 
Whatley:  Life  and  Work  of  Mary  Louise  Whatley, 
III,  IV. 

IV.  Evangelistic  Work. 

Methods     of     Mission     Work     Among    Moslems, 

III,   IV. 
Watson :  Egypt  and  the  Christian  Crusade,  218-225. 
Watson:  The  American  Mission  in  Egypt,  319-325. 
Wherry:   Islam  and  Christianity  in  the  Far  East, 

VIIL 


APPENDIXES 


aij 


APPENDIX  A 


CHRONOLOGICAL    TABLE    OF    IMPORTANT 

EVENTS   IN  THE   HISTORY   OF   ISLAM 

AND  OF  MISSIONS  TO  MOSLEMS 

"Facts  are  the  fingers  of  God." 

— Dr.  A.  T,  Pier  son 


A.  D.  ISLAM 

570.  Birth  of  Mohammed  at 
Mecca. 

595.  Yemen  passes  tmder  Persian 
rule. 

6io.  Mohammed  begins  his  pro- 
phetic career. 

622.  The  Hegira,  or  flight  of  Mo- 
hammed from  Mecca  to  Me- 
dina (A.H.  I). 

623.  Battle  of  Bedr. 

624.  Battle  of  Ohod. 

625.  Reputed  mission  of  Abu 
Kabsha  to  China. 

630.  Mecca    entered    and    con. 

quered. 
362.  Death  of  Mohammed. 

Bekr,  first  Caliph. 
634.  Omar,    Caliph;    Jews 

Christians     expelled 

Arabia. 

636.  Capture  of  Jerusalem  by  the 
Caliph  Omar, 

637.  Conquest  of  Syria. 

638.  Ktifa  and  Busrah  foimded. 
640.  Capture  of  Alexandria  by 

Omar. 
642.  Conquest  of  Persia. 
644.  Othman.  Caliph. 
06i.  All  assassinated.        Hassan 

becomes  Caliph. 


Abu 


and 
from 


215 


2l6 


The  Moslem  World 


A.  D.  ISLAM 

662-750.  Ommiad  caliphs  at  Da- 
mascus. 
710-1492.  Mohammedan  rule  in 

Spain. 

Tarik    crosses    the    straits 

from  Africa  to  Europe,  and 

calls    the    mountain    Jebel 

Tarik— Gibraltar. 

Mohammed  Kasim  overruns 

Sind  (India)  in  the  name  of 

Walid  I  of  Damascus. 

Battle    of    Tours.     Europe 

saved  from  Islam. 

First  mosque  built  in  north 

China. 

Mansur. 
756-1258.  Abbasid     caliphs     at 

Bagdad. 

Haroun  al-Raschid,   Caliph 

of  Bagdad, 

Amin. 

Manun. 

Motasim.  Islam  spreads  in- 
to Transoxania. 
847.  Mutawakkel. 
889.  Rise  of  Carmathian  sect. 
930.  Carmathians     take     Mecca 

and  carry  away  the  Black 

Stone  to  Katif. 

Islam   invades    India   from 

the  north. 

Preaching  of  Sheik  Ismail  at 

Lahore,  India. 

Mahmud  Ghazni,  champion 

of  Islam  in  India. 
1037-1300,  Seljuk  Turks. 
1055.  Togrul  Beg  at  Bagdad. 
1063.  Alp  Arslan,  Saljukian  Turk- 
ish prince. 
1077.  Timbuktu  founded.     Islam 

enters  western  Sudan. 
1 1 69-1 1 93.  Saladin. 
1176-1206.  Mohammed  Ghori  con - 

?uers  Bengal. 
_.     slam  introduced  into  Ma- 
lacca. 

1299— 1326.  Reign  of  Othman, 
founder  of  Ottoman  dy- 
nasty. 

Preaching    and    spread    of 
Islam  in  the  Deccan. 
Institution     of     the     Jani- 
zaries. 

First  entrance  of  the  Turks 
into  Europe. 

1369.-140S.  Tamerlane 


711. 


711. 


732. 

742. 


754. 


786. 

809. 
813. 
833. 


1 000. 


IOCS. 


ioi9> 


1305. 
1330. 


1353- 


830.  Abd  el  Messia  Al  Kindy,  a 
Christian,  at  the  Court  of 
Al  Mamun,  writes  his  apol- 
ogy. 


1096-1272.  The  Crusades. 


1315.  Raymund  Lull,  first  Mis- 
sionary to  Moslems,  stoned 
to  death  at  Bugia,  Tunis. 


Appendix  A 


217 


A.  D.  ISLAM  A.  D. 

1389.  Islam    begins  to    spread    in 

Servia. 
1398.  Tamerlane  invades  India. 
1 4 14.  Conversion  of  the  King  of 
Bengal, 

Missionary  activity  of  Islam     1452. 
in  Java  begins. 
Capture    of    Constantinople 
by  Mohammed  II. _ 
Discovery  of  America :   End 
of  Moslem  rule  in  Spain  by 
defeat  of  Boabdil  at  Gran- 
ada. 

Spread  of  Islam  in  Siberia. 
The  Portuguese  take  Mus- 
cat. 

Selim  I  conquers  Egypt  and 
wrests  caliphate  from  Arab 
line  of  Koreish  for  Ottoman 
sultans. 

1525-1707.  Mogul  empire  in  In- 
dia. 

Suleiman    the    Magnificent 
takes  Aden  by  treachery. 
Beginning   of   Turkish   rule 
in  Yemen. 

Akbar  the  Great  rules  in 
India.  1596. 

Islam  enters  Celebes  and 
New  Guinea. 

1627.  Shah  Jehan,  Mogul  ruler  in 
India. 

1630.  Arabs  drive  out  Turks  from 
Yemen. 

1659-1707.  Aurungzebe  in  India. 

1683.  Final  check  of  Turks  at  the 
gates  of  Vienna  by  John 
Sobieski,  King  of  Poland, 
September  12.  Eastern 
Europe  saved  from  Moslem 
rule. 

1691.  Mohammed  bin  Abd  vd  Wa- 
hab  bom. 

1 739-1 761.  Afghan  Mohammed  in- 
vasion of  India,  and  sack  of 
Delhi. 

1740-1780.  Wahabi  reform 
spreads  over  all  southern 
and  central  Arabia,  except 
Oman. 

Battle  of  Plassey.      British 
empire  in  India. 
Wahabis     invade     Bagdad 
vilayet  and  sack  Kerbela. 
Mecca  taken  by  the  Waha-    1806. 
bis. 


1450. 


1453- 


1492. 


1500. 
1507. 


1517. 


1538. 


1540. 


1556. 
1603. 


1757. 
1801. 


1S03. 


Perfection  of  art  of  printing 
by  Gutenberg. 


Xavier     holds     discussions 
with  the  Moslems  at  Lahore. 


Henry  Martyn  reaches  In- 
dia. 


2l8 


The  Moslem  World 


A.  D.    •  ISLAM 

1805—1820.  British  suppress  Wa- 

habi  piracy  in  the  Persian 

Gulf. 
1S20-1847.  British    treaties    with 

Moslem    chiefs    in    Persian 

Gulf. 
1 81 5.  Battle  of  Bessel.     Wahabis 

defeated. 
1826.  Wahabi     jahad     in     India 

against  the  Sikhs. 


1839.  Aden  bombarded  by  British 
fleet  j-nd  taken. 


1856.  End      of      Crimean      War. 
Treaty  of  Paris. 

1857.  Indian  (Sepoy)  Mutiny. 

1858.  Bombardment  of  Jiddah  by 
British. 

i860.  Civil  war  in  the  Lebanons. 


1870.  Second  Turkish  invasion  of 
Yemen. 


A.  D.  MISSIONS 

1S20.  Levi  Parsons  and  Pliny 
Fiske, first  missionaries  from 
America,  reach  Smyrna. 

1 82  2.  American  Mission  Press 
founded  in  Malta. 

1826.  Church  Missionary  Society 
attempts  a  mission  in 
Egypt. 

1827.  Dr.  Eli  Smith  begins  trans- 
lation of  the  Arabic  Bible. 

1S29.  Missionary  C.  G.  Pfaiider 
visits  Persia. 

1S31.  Constantinople  occupied  by 
American  Board  of  Com- 
missioners for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions. 

1833.  American  mission  begun  at 
Tabriz. 

1836.  Scriptures  published  in 
Graeco-Turkish. 

1847.  Aintab  occupied  by  Ameri- 
can Board  of  Commissioners 
for  Foreign  Missions. 

1 85 1.  Church  Missionary  Society 
begins  mission  in  Palestine. 

1856.  Hatti  Sherif,  or  charter  of 
religious  freedom,  obtained 
for  Turkey. 

1857.  Harpoot  occupied. 

1858.  Mardin  occupied. 

i860.  Dr.  Van  Dyck's  translation 
of  Arabic  New  Testament 
issued. 

1862.  The  Rhenish  mission  enters 
Sumatra. 

1863.  Syrian  Protestant  College 
founded  at  Beirut. 

1866.  First  Girl's  Boarding-school, 
Cairo. 

1868.  Imad-ud-Din  ordained  at 
Araritsar. 

1869.  Cornerstone  laid  of  Robert 
College  at  Constantinople. 

1869,  Rev.  Robert  Bruce  visits 
Ispahan,  Persia. 

1871.  Bible  House  built  at  Con- 
stantinople. 

1872.  Teheran  occupied  by  the 
Presbyterian  Mission. 

1875.  Church  Missionary  Society 
begins  mission  work  in 
Persia. 


Appendix  A 


219 


1878. 
1879. 

iSSi. 

1882, 

1882. 
1S83. 

1885. 
1SS9. 
1890, 


Treaty  of  Berlin.  Inde- 
pendence of  Bulgaria.  Eng- 
land occupies  C^TDrus.  Re- 
forms promised  for  Turkey. 
Royal  Niger  Company 
founded  (Britain  in  Africa). 
Rise  of  the  Mahdi  near 
Khartum. 

Massacre  of  Europeans  at 
Alexandria. 

British  occupation  of  Egypt. 
Defeat  of  Anglo -Egj-ptian 
forces  by  the  Mahdi. 


A.  D.  MISSIONS 

1876.  Euphrates  College  estab- 
lished at  Harpoot, 

1S76.  Church  Missionary  Society 
opens  mission  at  Ispahan, 
Persia. 


1 88 1.  North  Africa  Mission  organ- 
ized. 

1882.  Church  Missionary  Society 
begins  work  in  Egypt, 


Fall  of  Khartum, 
of  General  Gordon, 
Mahdi  invasion  of  Egypt. 

Anglo -French    protectorate 
declared  over  Sahara. 


1892.  French  annex  Dahomey  and 
conquer  Timbuktu. 

1894.  Anglo -French -German  de- 
limitation of  Sudan. 

1895.  Rebellion  of  Arabs  against 
the  Turks  in  Yemen. 

i894-i8g6.  Great  Armenian  mas- 
sacres. 

1896.  Massacre  at  Harpoot. 
1898.  Fall  of  the   Mahdi.     Occu- 
pation of  the  Stidan. 

1900.  British  protectorate  de- 
clared over  Nigeria  and 
Hausaland. 

1006.  The  Algeciras  Conference 
regarding  Morocco. 


1907,  The    French    Army    enters 
Morocco.     (Casablanca.) 


1883.  Mission  work  begun  at  Bag- 
dad by  the  Church  Mission- 
ary Society. 
Murder    1885.  Keith -Falconer  begins  work 
at  Aden. 

18S9.  The  (American)  Arabian 
Mission  organized. 

I S90.  Jam.es  Cantine,  first  Amen, 
can  missionarv'  to  Arabia, 
sails  for  the  field. 

1 89 1.  Bishop  French  died  at  Mus- 
cat, May  14. 

1893.  Mirza  Ibrahim  martyred  in 
Persia. 


1906.  American  Board  of  Com- 
missioners for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions opens  work  for  Mos 
lems  at  Mindanao,  Philip- 
pine Islands. 

1906.  The  first  general  Missionary 
Conference  on  behalf  of  the 
Mohammedan  world  held  at 
Cairo. 

1907.  Board  of  Foreign  Missions, 
Methodist  EpiscopalChiirch, 
begins  work  in  Algeria. 


APPENDIX  B 


LIST  OP  MISSIONARY  SOCIETIES 

THE  PRINCIPAL  MISSIONARY  SOCIETIES  AND 
BOARDS  WORKING  IN  MOSLEM  LANDS  OR 
AMONG  MOSLEMS,  DIRECTLY  OR  INDIRECTLY, 
ARE  AS  FOLLOWS: 

American  Bible  Society  (organized  1816),  New  York;  periodical,  BibJe 

Society  Record;  field,  The  Levant,  Arabia. 
American  Board  of  Commissioners   for  Foreign    Missions  (organized 

1 8 10),  Boston,  Mass.;  periodical.  Missionary  Herald;  field,  Turkish 

empire,  India. 
Basel    Evangelical    Missionary    Society    (1815),    Basel,    Switzerland; 

periodical,  Der  Evangelische  Heidenhote;  field,  west  Africa. 
Bible  Lands  Missions'  Aid  Society  (1856),  London,  England;  periodical, 

Star  in  the  East;  field,  Egypt,  Levant,  Arabia. 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (1819),  New 

York;   periodical,    World-Wide  Missions;   field,  India,  Bulgaria, 

Algeria. 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A. 

(183  7),  New  York;  periodical,  Assembly  Herald;  field,  Syria,  Persia, 

India. 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  North 

America  (1859),  Philadelphia,  Pa.;  periodical.  United  Presbyterian 

Church  Record;  field,  Egypt,  India. 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  (1804),  London,  England;  periodical, 

Bible  Society  Reporter;  field,  north  Africa,  Persia,  India,  etc. 
Cambridge  Mission  to  Delhi  (1867),  Cambridge,  England;  field,  India. 
Central  Morocco  Medical  Mission  (1894),  Dennistown,  Glasgow,  Scot- 
land; field,  Morocco. 
China  Inland  Mission  (1865),  Mildmay,  London,  England;  periodical, 

China's  Millions;  field,  Ytin-nan,  Shen-si. 
Christian    and    Missionary   Alliance    (1887),    New   York;    periodical, 

Christian  and  Missionary  Alliance;  field,  Palestine. 
Church  Missionary  Society  (1799),  Salisbury  Square,  London,  England; 

periodicals.  Church  Missionary  Gleaner.,  Mercy  and  Truth,  Church 

Missionary  Review;  field,  Egypt,  Uganda,  Persia,  Palestine,  India- 

Arabia,  east  Africa. 

220 


Appendix  B  221 

Church  of  England  Zenana  Missionary  Society  (1880),  27  Chancery 
Lane,  London,  England;  periodical,  India's  Women;  field,  India. 

Deutsche  Orient  Mission  (1896),  near  Berlin,  Germany;  periodical, 
Der  Christliche  Orient;  field,  Bulgaria,  Persia, 

Egypt  General  Mission  (1898),  Belfast,  Ireland;  periodical,  Egypt 
Goteral  Mission  News;  field,  lower  Egypt. 

Foreign  Missions  of  the  United  Free  Church  of  Scotland  (1900),  Edin- 
burgh, Scotland;  periodical,  United  Free  Church  Record;  field, 
Arabia. 

Java  Comite  (1855),  Amsterdam,  Holland;  periodical,  Geillustreed 
Zendingsblad;  field,  Java. 

Netherlands  Missionary  Society  (1797),  Rotterdam,  Holland;  period- 
icals, Afaandbericht,  Mededeelingen;  field,  Java. 

Netherlands:  Union  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Egypt  (1886), 
Amsterdam,  Holland;  field,  Egypt. 

North  Africa  Mission  (i88i),  London,  E.  C,  England;  periodical, 
North  Africa;  field,  Egypt,  Tunis,  Tripoli,  Morocco. 

Reformed  Church  in  America,  Arabian  Mission  (1889),  New  York; 
periodicals.  Mission  Field,  Neglected  Arabia;  field,  Arabia. 

Rhenish  Missionary  Society  (1828),  Barmen,  Germany;  periodical, 
Missionsblait  Barmen;  field,  Sumatra. 

Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts  (1701). 
London,  England;  periodicals,  The  Mission  Field,  The  East  and 
the  West;  field,  east  Africa. 

Southern  Morocco  Mission  (1888),  Glasgow,  Scotland;  periodical,  The 
Reaper;  field,  Morocco. 

Sudan  Pioneer  Mission  (1900),  Wiesbaden,  Germany;  periodical,  Der 
Sudan  Pionier;  field,  Assuan. 

Sudan  United  Mission  (1904),  Germantown,  Pennsyivania;  field,  west- 

tem  Sudan. 
Universities  Mission  to  Central  Africa  (1858),  London,  England;  field, 

central  Africa. 


APPENDIX   C 


SELECTED  LIST  OF  BOOKS  ON  THE 
MOSLEM- WORLD 

Life  of  Mohammed 

Johnstone:  Muhammad  and  His  Power.     1901.  Charles 
Scribner's  Sons,  New  York.     $1.25. 
A  brief  and  fair  account  of  the  prophet. 

Koelle:     Mohammed     and     Mohammedanism.       1889. 
Charles  Scribner's  Sons,   New  York.     $6.00. 

An    extensive    biography    and    strongly    inclined    to    emphasize 
the  vices  of   Moliamined. 

Margoliouth  :  Mohammed  and  the  Rise  of  Islam.     1905. 
G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  New  York.    $1.50. 

Written  by  an  Oxford  professor.     Neither  an  apology  nor  an 
indictment. 

Muir:  Life  of  Mahomet.     1858.     Smith,   Elder  &  Co., 
London.     i6s. 
The  best  and  most  comprehensive   biography. 
Smith  :  Mohammed  and  Mohammedanism.    1876.    Har- 
per and  Brothers,  New  York.    $1.50. 

A   strong  apology   for   the   prophet,    and   written    in   an    attrac- 
tive style. 

The  Koran 

Muir:    The    Coran.     1878.    James    Pott   &    Co.,    New 
York.    $1.25. 

A  valuable  compendium;  accurate  and  brief. 

TisDALL :    The    Original   Source   of  the   Qur'an.     1905. 

Edwin  S.  Gorham,  New  York.     $2.50. 

The    result    of    many    years    of    study,    and    the    best    book    on 
the   subject. 


Appendix  C  223 

Islam  as  a  Religion 

Arnold:  The  Preaching  of  Islam.     1896.     A.  Constable 

&  Co.,  London.     12s. 

The  fullest  and  best  account  of  the  spread  of  Islam  from 
the  earliest  times.  The  author^  however,  apologizes  for  the 
sword  of  Islam. 

Haines  :  Islam  as  a  Missionary  Religion.     1889.     S.  P. 
C.  K.,  London.    2s. 

A  good  brief  account  of  the  rise  and  spread  of  Islam,  giving 
causes  of  its  success.     Not  quite  up  to  date. 

Muir:  The  Caliphate;  Its  Rise,  Decline,  and  Fall.     189T. 
Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  New  York.    $4.20. 
The  best  book  on  the  first  period  of  Moslem  conquest. 
Sfxl:  The  Faith  of  Islam.     1907.     S.   P.  C.  K.,  Lon- 
don.    I2S.  6d. 
Minute  and  thorough.     Valuable  for  reference. 
Shedd  :   Islam  and  the  Oriental   Churches ;  their  His- 
torical  Relations.       1904.      Presbyterian   Board   of 
Publication,  Philadelphia.    $1.25. 

Covers  the  period  of  600-1500  A.  D.,  but  deals  chiefly  with 
Persia.  Important  contribution  to  the  history  of  Moslem  propa- 
gandism. 

Tisdall:  The  Religion  of  the  Crescent.     1895.     Edwin 

S.  Gorham,  New  York.     $1.25. 

A  discussion  of  the  strength,  weakness,  origin,  and  influence 
of  Islam,  written  by  an  authority  after  many  years  of  experience 
among  Moslems. 

Zwemer:  The  ]\Ioslem  Doctrine  of  God.     1905.     Amer- 
ican Tract  Society,  New  York.     50  cents. 

A  monograph  from  a  missionary  standpoint. 

Missions 

Atterbury:   Islam    In   Africa.     1899.     G.    P.    Putnam's 
Sons,  New  York.    $1.25. 

One  of  the  best  accounts  of  Islam  in  Africa  from  a  mis- 
sionary view-point. 


224  'The  Moslem  World 

Dwight:  Constantinople  and  Its  Problems.  1901. 
Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  New  York.    $1.25. 

An  excellent  view  of  the  political,  social,  and  religious  con- 
ditions of  the  inner  life  of  the  heart  of  the  empire. 

Jessup:  The  Mohammedan  Missionary  Problem.     1879. 

Presbyterian    Board    of    Publication,    Philadelphia. 

75  cents. 
Succinct  and  strong. 
Methods   of   Mission    Work    Among   Moslems.      1906. 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  New  York.     $1.00. 

Papers  read  on  methods  of  mission  work  at  the  First  Mis- 
sionary Conference  on  behalf  of  the  Mohammedan  World,  Cairo, 
1906. 

Van  Sommer  and  Zwemer:  Our  Moslem  Sisters.    1907. 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  New  York.    $1.25. 

An  account  of  womanhood  in  all  Moslem  lands,  written  by 
missionaries. 

Watson:  Egypt  and  the  Christian  Crusade.  1907. 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian Church  of  North  America,  Philadelphia. 
50  cents. 

The  best  brief  survey  of  missions  in  Egypt. 

Wherry:  Islam  and  Christianity  In  India  and  the  Far 
East.  1907.  Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  New  York. 
$1.25. 

A  splendid  piece  of  work;  authoritative  and  up  to  date.  Con- 
taining valuable  appendix  on  the  work  of  the  missionary  as  a 
preacher  to  Moslems. 

Zwemer:  Arabia  the  Cradle  of  Islam.     1900.     Fleming 

H.  Revell  Co.,  New  York.    $2.00. 
The  best  book  on  Arabia  and  missions. 
Zwemer:  The  Mohammedan  World  of  To-Day.     1907. 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  New  York.     $1.50. 

A  symposium  of  the  present  conditions  and  outlook  of  Islam 
in  all  lands. 


INDEX 


Abbas,  new  mosque  of,  7  7 

Abd  ul  Hak,  166,  168; 
quoted,  167 

Abd  ul  Muttalib,  grand- 
father of  Mohammed,  3, 
II,  12 

Abd  ul  Wahab,   career  of, 

183 

Abdullah,  father  of  Moham- 
med, 3 

Ahjad,  the,  123 

Abraha,  defeat  of,  10 

Abraham,  65 

Abu  Afak,  murder  of,  112, 

113 
Abu  Bekr,  Caliph,  37 
Abu  Jaafer,  Caliph,  44 
Abyssinia,  conditions  in,  1 7  7 
Ad  Damiri,  Mohammed  de- 
scribed by, 4-6 
Adam,  64;    counted  as   an 
apostle  of  Islam,  65;  fall 
from  Paradise,  77 
Aden,  the  work  at,  148 
Afghanistan,  Ameer  of,  176; 

Islam  in,  36 
Afghans  in  India,  46 
Africa,  36,  88,  97,  103,  125, 
169,  193;  Arabic  lan- 
guage in,  93 ;  chief  powers 
controlling  Moslems  in, 
96;  Christianity's  peril  in, 
90,  152,  177-181;  early 
Moslem  conquests  in,  39; 
later  developments  of  Is- 
lam in,  39,  40,  90;  mis- 
sion progress  and  needs 


among  Moslems  in,  151- 
153,  1 71-174;  Raymund 
Lull  a  missionary  in,  139- 
141 ;  total  Moslems  in,  33, 
42,  89,  153 
African     traveler,     quoted, 

183 

Ahmed  (Mohammed)  fore- 
told, 66 

Akba,  early  leader,  35 

Akbar,  as  Mogul  emperor 
promoting  literature  and 
art,  46 

Al  Azhar  University,  127 

Al  Hajaj,  governor  of  Chal- 
dea,  45 

Aleppo,  14,  154 

Algeria,  41,  95,  loi;  illit- 
eracy of  Moslems  in,  121; 
intellectual  awakening  in, 
125;  mission  work  in,  152 

AH,  partizans  of  the  house 
of,  95;  statement  con- 
cerning Mohammed,  5,  6 

Aligarh,  Anglo-Mohamme- 
dan College  at,  126 

Allah,  Moslem  term  for  God, 
59;  occurrence  in  creed, 
59,  69;  word  and  sword 
of,  38 

"Allahu  Akbar,"  on  the 
Nile,  92 

Allegiance  to  Moslem  faith 
not  given  by  all  subject 
people,  38,  39 

Alms,  legal  (zakat),  74 

Ameer  of  Afghanistan,  Kaf- 
irs  become    subjects    of. 


225 


226 


Index 


176;  quoted,  164;  visit  to 
India,  197 

America,  women  mission- 
aries among  Moslems  ap- 
peal to,  203 

American  Board  of  Com- 
missioners for  Foreign 
Missions,  147,  148,  153 

American,  foreign  missions, 
call  for  new  vision,  207; 
mission  colleges  in  Turk- 
ish empire,  196;  obliga- 
tion in  Persia  toward 
educational  aspirations, 
197;  responsibility  re- 
specting Philippine  Mo- 
hammedan population, 
176;  pioneers  in  Turkish 
nrission  field,  1 50 ;  Presby- 
terian missions  reaching 
Moslems,  146 

Amina,  mother  of  Moham- 
med, 3,  12 

Analysis  of  the  Koran,  63 

Angel,  for  recording  evil, 
61;  for  recording  good, 
6r;  of  death,  61 

Angels,  Moslem  doctrine  of, 
60,  61 

Anti-British,  mass  meeting 
in  Calcutta,  103;  procla- 
mation in  Cairo  paper,  98 

Apostles  of  Islam,  65 

Appeal  to  Christians,  from 
the  Cairo  Conference, 
201;  of  women  mission- 
aries on  behalf  of  Moslem 
women,  204 

Appearance,  Mohammed's, 
18 

Arab,  code  of  honor,  20; 
conquests  in  India,  45, 
46;  converts  at  the  begin- 
ning to  Islam,  36;  meth- 


ods used  to  counteract 
defection,  38;  settlers  in 
China,   44;   superstitions, 

7 

Arabia,  before  Mohammed, 
7,  8;  Islam  in,  35;  Keith- 
Falconer's  work  for,  148; 
missions  proved  possible 
in,  165;  pioneer  oppor- 
tunity in,  177 

Arabian,  Mission,  200;  Ve- 
nus, 9 

Arabian  Nights,  The,  re- 
ferred to,  61 

Arabic  language,  92,  93; 
the  Scriptures  in,  155 

Arabic  Scriptures  sent  to 
Chinese  Moslems,  194 

Archangels,  61 

Armenian  massacres,  80, 
102 

Armenians,  work  for  the, 
149 

Arnold,  T.  W.,  quoted,  32 

Article  written  by  Abd  ul 
Hak,  166,  167 

Asia,  42-50,  138;  mission 
progress  and  needs  among 
Moslems  in,  174-177;  to- 
tal   Moslems  in,    42,    90, 

Asia  Minor,  96,  148 
Asma,  murder  of,  112,  113 
Awakening,  an  intellectual, 

125,  127 
Ayeshah,  5,  6,  17,  18 

B 

Babis,  the,  200 

Bagdad,  work  at,  148 

Bahrein,  148 

Bailey,  T.  Graham,  quoted, 

136 
Baluchistan,  95 ;  Moslem  il- 


Index 


227 


literacy,      122;      Moslem 
population        unevangel- 
ized,  177;  Mohammedans 
still  open  to  effort,  179 
Baptist    missions,    English 

and  Australian,  146 
Barmen  Mission,  102 
Basel  men  sent  to  Egypt, 

Batta  tribes,  48 

Battaks,  the,  153 

Battle  of  the  Ditch,  15 

Bedouins,  the,  122,  124 

Bedr,  fight  at,  15 

Beirut,  Dr.  Post  of,  184; 
mission  press  at,  155 

Beit  Allah,  the  Moslem 
Bethel,  7 

Bengal,  47:  conditions  in, 
177;  Dr.  Rouse  of,  191 

Bennett,  Mrs.  Jessie  Vail, 
148 

Bent,  J.  Theodore,  quoted 
on  the  Red  Sea  slave- 
trade,  119 

Bethlehem  and  Mecca  con- 
trasted, 208 

Bible,  in  ^Moslem  vernacu- 
lars, 94,  151,  155;  Mos- 
lem commentary  on,  126; 
now  read  by  many  Mos- 
lems. 63 

Black  Stone,  the,  7,  14,  76, 
77.  78  . 

Bni  Koraiza,  the  Jews  of,  15 

Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  147,  148 

"Book,  the  People  of  the," 
8,  194 

Bokhara,  Moslem  converts 
in.  42;  testimony  of  pro- 
fessor, 157 

Bosnia,  Islam  in,  36 


British  Government,  atti- 
tude of  the,  104 

Buddhism  a  missionary  re- 
ligion, S3 

Bugia,  Lull  in  the  market- 
place at,  141 

Buhaira,  Mohammed  meets 
v/ith  the  monk,  13 

Bulgaria,  148 

Burckhardt,  referred  to,  75 

Burial,  Mohammed's,  6 

Burma,  50,  177 

Burton,  referred  to,  75 

Busrah,  148,  195 


Cairo,   appeal   to   Christian 
women    sent    out    from, 
203;  Christian  missionary 
conference    in,    201;    dis- 
ciples  from   its    Moham- 
medan university,  36;  ef- 
forts    of     liberal-minded 
mufti    for    reforms,    127; 
Moslem  publications  ema- 
nating from,  98,  127,  171, 
181;  recent  Moslem  con- 
ference   in,    199;    weekly 
discussions  held  in,  152 
Calcutta,  50;  Moslem  mass- 
meeting  in,  102 
Caliphs,  the  early,  35 
Canton,  35:  mosque  at,  44 
Carey,  William,  referred  to, 

138,  142 
Caucasus,  converts  in  the, 

157 

"Causes  of  the  Decay  of 
Islam,  The,"  199 

Centenary  Missionary  Con- 
ference, the,  184 

Centers  of  missionary  effort 
in  leading  Moslem  cities, 
154 


22< 


Index 


Central  Asia,  Islam  in,  42, 
43,  169;  pioneer  fields  in, 
177 

Ceremonies  at  Mecca,  76 

Challenge  to  faith  and  sac- 
rifice, a,  206 

Character,  Mohammed's, 
112;    relation    to    creed, 

59 

China,  estimated  total  of 
Islam  in,  33,  91;  example 
of  a  peaceful  propaganda, 
43,. 44;  great  pagan  popu- 
lation, 170,  171;  literary- 
needs  of  the  Moslems 
in,  194 

Christ.    See  Jesus  Christ 

Christian  mission  methods 
eraployed  in  Moslem  prop- 
aganda, 179,  180 

Christian  missions.  See 
Missions  to  Moslems 

Christian  rule,  advantages 
of,  192;  Mohammedans 
under,  96,  97;  not  always 
neutral,  103 

Christianity,  advance  in  In- 
dia, 156;  in  Africa,  90; 
in  Arabia,  8-10;  in  Asia 
Minor,  38 ;  in  conflict  with 
Islam,  35 

Church  Missionary  Soci- 
ety,   146-149,    151,    152, 

157 

Church-State  and  State- 
Church,  192 

Churches  built  in  South 
Arabia,  the  early,  10 

Churches  of  Scotland's  mis- 
sions, 146 

Circumcision  observed  by 
Moslems,  78 

Clarke,  James  Freeman, 
quoted,  18,  60 


Clarke,     William     Newton, 

quoted,  2 
Colporteurs,  need  of,  194 
Commentary  on  the  Bible, 

a  Moslem.,  126 
Commercial  intercourse  and 

the  propaganda,  43,  44 
Commission,   Mohammed's, 

37 

Complaint  against  England, 
Islam's,  98,  99 

Conditions  in  Moslem  lands, 
III,  169,  170,  177 

Conferences,  at  Cairo,  199, 
201 ;  at  Mecca,  198 

Confession  of  faith,  the  Mos- 
lem, 68 

Congo  basin,  conditions  in 
the,  177 

Congress  urged,  a  Pan- 
Islamic,   199 

Conquests  in  Africa,  early 
Moslem,  39 

Constantinople,  besieged, 
41;  Moslem  press  of,  181; 
Sultan  of,  102 

Constantius,  king,  10 

Converts  from  Islam,  155 

Copts,   work   for   the,    149, 

151.  157 
Creed  and  deed  in  Moslem 

system^  59 
Creed,  the  shortest,  69 
Crisis  in  Islam,  a,  128 
Cromer,     Lord,     on     Pan- 

Islamism,  182,  184 
Cross  and  the  Crescent,  the, 

172 

•usac 

207 
Crusades,    reaction    against 

the,  39;  the  spirit  of  the, 

137 
Curzon,  Lord,  on  the  Mo- 


Index 


229 


hammedan  conception  of 
politics,  192 

D 

Damascus,    John    of,    139; 

Mohammed  in,  14 
Damiri,  Ad,  the  prophet  de- 
scribed by,  4 
Danish  Church  workers,  148 
Dante's    reference    to    Mo- 
hammed, 139 
Darkest  Africa,  153,  174 
Dar-ul-Harb,  the,  97 
Dar-ul-Islam,  the,  97 
Death  of  Mohammed,  1 7 
Decalogue  and  Islam,  the, 

Deccan,  Moslem  population 

of  the,  47 
Defeat  at  Ohod,  Moslem,  15 
Defense  of  Islam,  societies 
for,    179;    work   of    Pan- 
Islamism,  181 
Defiance,  a  Moslem,  166 
Delhi,  46 
Dennis,  James  S.,  quoted, 

86 
Dervish  orders,  the,  36,  39 
Devils,  Moslem  ideas  of,  61 
Discouragement,    no    need 

for  Christian,  191 
Discussions  in  Cairo,  152 
Dissatisfied  Moslems,  200 
Divorce,  the  Moslem  view 

of,  116 
Dods,  Marcus,  quoted,  80 
Doughty,  Charles  M.,  on  the 

Jiddah  slave-trade,  1 1 9 
Dutch  Government  and  Is- 
lam, the,  48,  91,  104,  153 
Dutch  Reformed  Arabian 
Mission.  See  Reformed 
Church  in  America,  Ara- 
bian Mission  of  ike 


Duties,  the  Moslem's  five, 

68 
Dwight,  Dr.  H.  O.,  quoted, 

58 

E 

Eastern,  question,  solution, 
of,  208;  Turkey,  148 

Education,  method  of,  at 
Mecca,  123;  Moslem  de- 
sire for  higher,  196 

Educational  v/ork  for  Mos- 
lems, 170, 196 _ 

Egypt,  39;  injustice  to 
Christians  in,  104;  intel- 
lectual awakening  in,  125, 
127;  the  boundary  dis- 
pute, 103 

Encouragement  of  fine  arts 
and  literature,  Moslem, 
46 

England's  policy,  Moslem 
view  of,  98,  99 

English  and  Australian 
Baptist  Missions,  146 

Euphrates,  star  worshipers 
on  the,  7 

Europe,  Islam  in,  41,  90 

European  Turkey,  97,  148 

Evangelizing  Islam,  165; 
factors  in  problem,  168 

Evils  allowed  by  Islam,  116 

Extent  of  Mohammedan- 
ism, the,  S3y  87 

Extracts  from  a  Cairo 
paper,  98 

F 

Factors  in  the  life  of  Mo- 
hammed, TO,  II 

Fairbaim,  Principal,  quoted, 

Fait^,  a  challenge  to,  191 
Fast,   evasions   of   and   ex- 
emptions from  the,  73 


230 


Index 


Fasting,  the  month  of,  72 
Fatalism,  effect  of,  67 
Feast  days,  79 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  41 
Fez,  dispensary  at,  152 
Fezzan,  the  Senusiya  in,  41 
"Final  word  of  Islam  to  Eu- 
rope, The,"  166 
Finns,  Moslem  work  among 

the,  36 
"Five  pillars"  of  the  faith, 

The,  78 
French,  Bishop,  148,  206 


Gabriel,  the  archangel,  61, 

65 
Genius  of  Mohammed,  the, 

4 
Germany's  policy  in  Africa, 

183 
Ghadiry  the  hatred  festival, 

95 
Ghazni,  the  Sultan  of,  46 
Ghazzali     quoted     on     the 

status  of  the  wife,  117 
Ghulam  Haider,  work  of ,  1 76 
Gibbon,  referred  to,  42 
Gibraltar,  35 
Gobat,  Samuel,  151 
Gold  Coast,  the,  178 
Gordon    Memorial    College, 

the,  104 
Great  Lakes,  the,  39 
Greeks,  missionary  work  for 

the,  149 

H 
Hadji  Khan,  quoted,  121 
Hanotaux,  M.  G.,  quoted, 

lOI 

Harut,  an  evil  spirit,  62 
Hastings,  Warren,  99 
Hatred,  festival,  a,  95;  two 


exceptions    to    ignorance 
and,  139 
Hausaland,  crisis  in,  178 
Haystack  meeting,  the,  165 
Hegira,  the,  6,  14,  15 
Hejaz  railway,  the,  75 
Hell,  the  Moslem,  67 
Heroism,  an  example  in,  49 
High  school  in  Bokhara,  a 
professor's  testimony,  157 
Higher  criticism,  the  Mos- 
lem use  of  our,  179 
Hindu  women's  bravery,  45 
Hinduism  a  non-missionary 

religion,  33 
Hira,  the  cave  of,  14 
Historical     change     in     Is- 
lam's position,  98 
Holy  war  proclaim.ed,  47,  49 
Hopeful  outlook  for  Chris- 
tian missions,  105 
Hospitality    enjoined,    Mo- 
hammed's noble  example, 

74 
Hurgronje,     Dr.,    and    the 
Mecca  slave-market,  119 

I 
Iblis,  62 
Ibrahim,  son  of  Mohammed, 

10,  17 
"Idol-breaker,  the,"  46 
Idolatry,  9,  11,  17 
Ignorance,   growths  in   the 

soil  of,  122 
Illiteracy  in  Islam,  the,  121, 

122,  198 
Iman  and  Din,  59 
Independent     missions     in 

North  Africa,  152 
India,  36,   50,  75,  99,   100; 

Afghans   in,    46;    British 

rule     in,      10 1;     forcible 

spread  of  Islam  in,  45,  91 ; 


Index 


231 


great  number  of  Moslems 
in,  45,  47,  91,  177;  illit- 
eracy of  Moslems  m, 
122;  intellectual  awaken- 
ing among  Moslems,  125, 
179;  mission  progress  and 
needs,  143,  146,  156,  170, 
172 

Indian  merchants  as  mis- 
sionaries, 50 

Indus,  fierce  battles  on  the, 

45 
Infidels  and  believers,   the 
world    divided    between, 

98 

Injustice  to  Christian  m- 
terests,  103 

Islam,  beginning  of ,  ^  10; 
causes  of  spread  of,  3, 
^7,;  crisis  in,  128;  doom 
of,  168;  effects  of  on 
lands  where  it  prevails, 
124,  125;  extent  and 
numbers,  87,  88;  in  Af- 
rica, 42,  89;  in  Asia,  42, 
90;  in  Europe,  42,  90;  in 
Malaysia,  47,  48,  91; 
largely  neglected  in  mis- 
sion efforts  heretofore, 
138;  signs  of  new  awak- 
ening, 1 2  5—1 2  7 ;  social  and 
moral  evils  of,  111-124; 
teachings  of,  59-81;  un- 
duly favored  by  some  of 
the  powers,  103 

Ispahan,  Martyn  in  the 
Shah's  camp  at,  144; 
work  in,  147 

Israfil,  61 


Java,  47,  48;  as  a  field  for 
mission  work,  153,  157; 
unrest  in,  102 

Jebel  Tarik,  35 

Jessup,  Dr.  H.  H.,  quoted, 
86,  166 

Jesuits  of  Islam,  the,  39,  40 

Jesus  Christ,  as  a  test  in 
teaching  and  spirit  of 
Mohammed's  character, 
19,  20,  26;  Martyn's  con- 
fession of,  144;  our  ma- 
jestic mission  Leader,  52; 
prophecy  of  his  triumph 
over  Islam,  158;  superior 
truth  of,  60;  viewed  by 
Islam,  65,  66;  winning 
power  of  love  for  and  de- 
votion to,  in  reaching 
Moslem  world,  168,  191, 
207,  208 

Jew  saved  through  Moham- 
med, story  of  a,  24 

Jew^s,  in  Arabia,  7,8;  Mos- 
lem expeditions  against, 
15,  16;  work  for  the,  149 

Jiddah,  in  Arabia,  77 

Jinn,  the,  and  the  Koran, 
61,  62 

John  of  Damascus,  139 

Johnstone,  quoted,  on  the 
character  of  Mohammed, 
21 

Jordan,  Rev.  S.  M.,  quoted, 
196  _    . 

Judaism  a  non-missionary 
religion,  s5 

Judgment,  descriptions  of 
the  last,  66,  67 


J  K 

Jahad  or  holy  war,  a  duty,  Kaab,  the  mosque  of,  77 

79,  80  Kaaba,  the,  7,  11,  14,  16, 
Japan  and  Albion,  100       76,  77,  198 


232 


Index 


Kab  Ibn  Ashraf,  the  death 
of,  113 

Kafiristan,  the  opportunity 
lost  in,  175 

Kasim,  Arab  general,  45 

Keith-Falconer,  Ion,  148, 
206 

Keller,  quoted,  138 

Kerbela,  78 

Kerman,  work  in,  147 

Khadija,  first  wife  of  Mo- 
hammed, 12,  14,  19,  21 

Khaibar,  7,  16 

Khaled,  reproved,  16; 
"Sword  of  God,"  49 

Khartum,  college  at,  104 

Kitman-ud-din,  the  doc- 
trine of,  115 

Koelle,  19;  quoted,  112 

Koran,  the,  8,  15,  25;  de- 
scription of,  62-64;  er- 
rors of,  64,  65;  for  free 
distribution,  50;  its  lan- 
guage, 63,  88;  quoted,  13, 
no;  translations  of,  94 

Kubattein,  the,  77 

Kumm,    Dr.,    estimate    of, 

'''  L. 

Lack  of  zeal  in  Christen- 
dom, 49 

Lahore,  50 

Lake  Chad,  39 

Lay    Moslem    missionaries, 

50 
Lefroy,  G,  A.,  quoted,  136 
Legislator,  Mohammed  as  a, 

15 

Lent,  the  Christian,  sug- 
gesting fast  of  Ramazan, 
72 

"Liberty,  fratemit^r,  and 
equality,"  watchword  in 
Persia,  127 


Libyan  oases,  the,  41 

Life  of  converts  in  jeopardy, 

170 
Literary  language  of  Islam, 

the  chief,  155 
Literary  work  for  Moslems, 

170 
Locusts,  parable  of  the,  184 
Loewenthal,  Isidor,  206 
London  Missionary  Society, 

the,  146 
Loomis  and  Mills,   mission 

views  of,  165 
Loose  moral  code,  Islam's, 

116 
Lull,    Raymund,    112,    137, 

139;  account  of,  140—142; 

referred  to,  193 
Lying  a  fine  art,  as  devel- 
"oped    in     some     Moslem 

teaching,  114,  115 

M 
Mahdi  movement,   39;   the 

Mahdis,  80,  183 
Majorca,  Lull  bom  in,  140 
Malay  Archipelago,  the,  47, 

48,  75.  93 
Malaysia,  171;  Moslem  con- 
verts in,  33,  153,  157 
Marco  Polo,  43 ;  quoted,  139 
Maronites,  work  for  the,  149 
Marriage  in  Islam,  117 
Martyn,    Henry,    156,    1Q3, 
206;    first    modem    mis- 
sionary to  Moslems,  143- 
145;     translation     work, 

143.  144 
Martyrs  in  the  Turkish  em- 
pire, 157 
Marut,  an  evil  spirit,  62 
Maximus  Tyrius,  quoted,  78 
Meaning    of    Mohammedan 
rule,  170,  192 


Index 


233 


Mecca,  birthplace  of  Mo- 
hammed, 3 ;  center  of 
Moslem  world,  87;  con- 
trasted with  Bethlehem, 
208;  education  in,  123; 
pilgrimage  to,  17,  74-78, 
87,  88;  slave-market  at, 
119,  120;  taken  by  Mo- 
hammed, 16 

Medical  work  for  Moslems, 
149,  170,  194;  appre- 
ciated, 196 

Medina,  7,  12;  defense  of, 
15;  faithful  to  Islam,  7,8; 
flight  of  Mohammed  to, 
14,  15;  graves  at,  66;  the 
tomb  of  Mohammed  at,  78 

Menzies,  Allen,  quoted,  58 

Meshed,  AH,  78 

Methodist  Episcopal  mis- 
sions to  Moslems,  146, 
149 

Methods  of  Mission  Work 
Among  Moslems,  quoted, 

94 

Michael,  the  archangel,  61 

Miller,  Dr.  W.  R.,  on  the 
spread  of  Islam,  90 

Mills,  Samuel  J.,  165 

Minarets,  the  call  from  the, 
3.  72 

Miracles,  Mohammed's,  5 

Mirza  Ibrahim,  147 

Mission  colleges  in  the  Turk- 
ish empire,  196 

Missionary  and  non-mis- 
sionary religions,  t,t^ 

Missionary,  every  Moslem 
a,  50,  180 

Missionary  Review  of  the 
World,  quoted,  58 

Missions  to  Moslems,  early 
efforts  by  writings,  137: 
labors  of  Lull,   139-142; 


labors  of  Martyn,  143- 
145;  later  movements  in 
various  fields,  146-155; 
Mohammedan  converts, 
155-158;  present  prob- 
lem and  peril,  165-185; 
special  opportunities,  191- 
200;  world  conference  and 
appeals,  200-208 

Mogul  golden  age,  the,  46 

Mohammed  and  Mohamme- 
danism, quoted,  112 

Mohammed,  birth  and  par- 
entage, 3,  11;  boyhood 
training,  12,  13;  call,  14; 
career  in  outline,  13-17; 
converts,  14;  death  and 
burial,  6,  17;  debt  to  Ju- 
daism and  Christianity,  8- 
10;  domestic  or  marital 
relations,  20,  21;  favorite 
wife,  Ayeshah,  5,  17,  18; 
four  factors,  10-12 ;  moral 
character,  18-23,  25,  in— 
115;  names  or  titles,  22, 
23;  portrait,  4-7,  18,  21- 
23 ;  power  as  mediator, 
24,  25;  rank  as  apostle  or 
prophet,  64-66 ;  69 ;  teach- 
ings, 59-81;  unbounded 
reverence  from  his  fol- 
lowers, 23,  24,  50-52,  72, 
144,  145 

Mohammedan,  dissatisfac- 
tion and  unrest,  102,  103; 
population,  ^t^,  96;  uni- 
versity, 126 

"Mohammedan  peril,"  a, 
178 

Mohammedanism.  See  Is- 
lam  and  Moslem 

Mohammedans  under  Mos- 
lem and  non-Moslem  rule, 
96,  97 


234 


Index 


Moluccas,  the,  47 

Monotheism,  Christian  and 
Moslem,  60 

Morocco,  39 

Moses,  65 

Moslem,  believers  extend 
their  faith  by  constant 
public  confession,  50,  51; 
commentary  on  the  Bible, 
126;  conquest,  33;  ideali- 
zation of  Mohammed,  2 1 ; 
journals,  127;  plan  of 
salvation,  24;  pupils  in 
American  mission  schools, 
151;  ritual  in  arctic  re- 
gions, 42;  saints,  117; 
sects,  94;  use  of  our 
higher  criticism,  179;  vast 
brotherhood  or  world, 
87-ios 

Moslem's  view,  a,  quoted, 
86 

Moslems,  each  a  missionary, 
180;  Koran  in  schools  of, 
92;  literary  needs  of  Chi- 
nese, 194;  missions  to, 
137-158;  strongholds  of, 
91.     See  also  Islam 

Mosque,     the,     at    Canton, 

44 
Mosques  and  shops,  51 
Mott,  John  R,,  quoted,  136, 

164 
Mufti  at  Cairo,  the  liberal, 

127 
Muir,  Sir  William,  quoted, 

15,  17;  referred  to,  18,  19, 

112 
Multan's  surrender,  45 
Munkar,    name    of     angel, 

61 
Munson    and    Lyman,    the 

fate  of,  153 
Muscat,  144,  148 


Mussulman  converts  in 
church  membership,  156. 

Mustapha  Pasha,  in  Lon- 
don, quoted,  128 

Muttalib,  Abd  ul,  3,  n,  12 

N 
Nakir,  name  of  angel,  61 
Name   of   Mohammed,    the 

use  of  the,  23,  51 
Napoleon  of  Islam,  the,  46 
Nationalities  of  Islam,  88 
Naylor,  W.  S.,  quoted,  174 
Nejran,     the     sacred     date 

plant  at,  7 
Nestorians,  the,   147;  work 

for,  149 
Niger  region,    39;   work  of 

Moslem  lay  missionaries, 

50 
Noah,  65 

Noble,  quoted,  39-41 
North  Africa  mission,   141, 

152 
North  African  Church  as  a 

warning,  90 
North    India,    converts    to 

Christianity  in,  156 
Nupe,  missionaries  at,  174 

O 
Occupied  lands,  169 
Old  Testament  influence  in 

Arabia,  8 
Oman  Arabs,  the,  ^6 
Omar,     Caliph,     and     the 

Black  Stone,  76 
Omar  Khayyam,  quotation 

from,  67 
Orthodox  Moslems,  the,  95 
Osama,  an  early  leader,  17 
Ottoman  rule,  extent  of,  34 
Ottomans  and  Moguls,  the, 

35.  36 


Index 


235 


Pagan,  forces  in  early  Ara- 
bia, 7,  lo;  peoples  now 
related  to  Islam's  gov- 
ernment and  growth,  178, 
179 

Palmer,  Qur'an,  quoted, 
1 10 

Pamphlet,  an  Arabic,  98 

Pan- Islamic  Society  of  Lon- 
don, the,  128 

Pan-Islamism,  181,  1S2; 
perils  in,  183 

Pantheon,  the  Arabian,  7 

Parable  of  the  locusts,  the, 
184 

Paradise,  the  Moslem,  17, 
49,  66 

Pearl  merchant's  gener- 
osity, a,  50 

Pearse,  Mr.  George,  152 

"People  of  the  Book,  The," 
8,  194 

Persia,  conditions  in,  122, 
127,  177;  Islam  in,  42; 
missionary  college  needed 
in,  196;  opportunity  in, 
197 

Peter  the  Venerable,  one  of 
two  early  missionaries  to 
Islam,  139 

Pfander,  Karl  Gottlieb,  146, 

147 

Philippines,  conditions  in, 
33,  91;  special  claim  on 
American  churches,  176 

Pilgrimage  to  Mecca,  de- 
tails of  the,  76;  duty  to 
make  the,  78 

Pilgrims  from  Mecca,  47 

Pillar  saint,  the,  9 

Political,  changes  and  pres- 
ent divisions  of  Islam  a 
mission  opportunity,  95- 


98,  192;  control  of  peo- 
ples not  assuring  their 
conversion  to  Islam,  ^S; 
loss  of  power  sometimes 
promotes  progress  of  the 
faith,  50 

Polygamy,  116 

Polyglot  Islam,  93 

Polytheists     to    he     slain, 

Population,  estimate  of  the 
Moham.mcdan,  88,  89 

Post,  Dr.  George  E.,  quoted, 
184,  195 

Prayer  in  Islam,  69-72 

Predestination,  67,  68 

Press,  enslaved  under  purely 
Mohammedan  rule,  192; 
value  of  the  Christian, 
as  used  at  Constantinople 
and  Beirut,  193,  194; 
work_  of  the  Moslem,  as 
seen  in  Egypt  and  Persia, 
127,  171,  181 

Pride  in  his  creed  and  his 
prophet,  the  Moslem's,  51 

Prisoners  slain  without  giv- 
ing quarter,  15 

Problem,  Mohammed's 
character,  a,  18 

Professor  in  Bokhara  high 
school,    testimony    of    a. 

Progress  and  Islam  incom- 
patible; 129 

Propagation  of  the  new 
faith,  3 

Prophet,  claims  for  and 
against  Mohammed,  18 

Publishing  firms  in  Cairo, 
171 

Punjab,  the,  47 

Purification,  directions  for 
legal,  71 


236 


Index 


R 

Rajputs,  alternative  offered 
to  the,  45 

Ramazan,  fast  of,  72,  73 

Red  Sea,  8;  slave-trade  in 
the,  119 

Reform  of  Morals,  The,  jour- 
nal begun  by  Sir  Saiyad 
Ahmed  Khan,  of  Aligarh, 
126 

Reformed  Church  in  Amer- 
ica, Arabian  mission  of 
the,  148 

Reforms  attempted  by  a 
Moslem,  127 

Reinforcements  called  for, 
not  retreat,  191 

Religions  in  Arabia  before 
Mohammed,  7,  8 

Religious  war  a  duty,  80 

Resurrection  of  the  body, 
the,  66 

"Revelations,"  some  time- 
ly, 20 

Rhenish  Missionary  So- 
ciety, 151,  153 

Risks  incurred  by  Moslem 
converts,  154 

Robinson,    Canon,    quoted, 

125 
Roman    Catholic   devotion, 

138 
Romans  and  Persians,  strife 

of,  in  Arabia,  9,  11 
"Roof  of  the  world,"  the,  92 
Rouse,   Dr.,   hopeful   views 

of,  quoted,  191 
Russian    empire,    Islam    in 

the,  92 
Ruthless     omnipotence     of 

Allah,  60 

S 
Sacred  books  "sent  down," 

62 


Sacrifice  at  Mecca,  the  pil- 
grim's, 76 

Sacrifice,  the  Feast  of,  79 

Safiyeh,  Jewish  wife  of  Mo- 
hammed, 20 

Salutes  to  the  sacred  Kiswa 
by  British  soldiers,  104 

Samarcand  "converted"  to 
Islam,  43 

Saracen  and  Turk,  the  fear 
of  the,  137 

Schlegel '  s  Ph  llosophy  of  His- 
tory quoted,  5C 

vSchools,  Christian  and  mis- 
sion, 125,  149-15 1,  196, 
197;  Moslem,  92,  123, 
126,  127,  157,  196 

Science  despised  or  feared, 
122 

Sculpture  in  India,  46 

Sects,  the  four  orthodox 
Moslem,  78 

Sell,  Canon,  quoted,  58, 
68 

Senegambia,  41 

Senusi  brotherhood,  the,  39, 
40;  the  Dervish  orders, 
183 

Shah  of  Persia,  attitude  of 
the,  196 

Shedd,  Dr.  William  A., 
quoted,  128 

Sheitan,  62 

Shepherd's  work,  the,  13 

Shiah  Moslems,  the,  78,  95, 

ii5>  117 

Shiraz,  Martyn  at,  144; 
work  in,  147 

Simeon  Stylites,  9 

Sind,  expedition  to  and  con- 
quest of,  45,  46 

Sir  Saiyad  Ahmed  Khan,  of 
Aligarh,  126 

Slave-dealers,  the,  39,  51 


Index 


237 


Slave-market  at  Mecca,  120, 
121 

Slavery,  116,  118 

Smith,  Dr.  Eli,  151 

Smith,  Dr.  George,  quoted, 
142 

Smith,  Mr.,  quoted,  150 

Smith,  R.  Bosworth,  quot- 
ed, 2,  no 

Social  bankruptcy  of  Islam, 
124 

Society  for  the  Propagation 
of  the  Gospel,  146 

Sokoto,  missionaries  at,  174 

Solomon  and  the  genii,  61 

Somalia,  41 

Sorcery  and  evil  spirits,  62 

Southern  India,  46 

Spain,  Arabs  in,  41 

Speer,  Robert  E.,  quoted, 
no,  140,  164 

Spice  Islands,  the,  47 

Spiritual  beings  in  Moslem 
thought,  6r 

Spitting,  Moslem  rule  for, 
61 

Spread  of  Islam,  three  pe- 
riods in  the,  35 

Star-worshipers,  7 

Statesman' s  Year-Book,  44 

Statistics,  African  Moslems, 
33,  42,  89;  Asiatic  Mos- 
lems, 33,  42,  90;  chapters 
of  the  Koran,  63;  Chinese 
Moslems,  ^2>^  44»  45!  Eu- 
ropean Moslems,  2,2^  42, 
90;  Indian  Moslems,  t,t,, 
47,  91;  Malaysian  Mos- 
lems, ^2)'y  Moslem  popula- 
tion of  the  world,  33,  S,S>, 
89;  Moslems  under  Chris- 
tian rule,  96,  97;  Moslems 
under  non-Christian  rule, 
97;  Moslems  under  non- 


Moslem  rule,  98;  Philip- 
pine Islands  Moslems,  7,2,, 
34,  91;  pilgrims  annually 
at  Mecca,  75,  88;  proph- 
ets and  apostles,  65;  sa- 
cred books,  62;  Russian 
Moslems,  92;  Turkish  em- 
pire Moslems,  97 ;  unevan- 
gelized  Moslem  popula- 
tions, 175 

Stock,  Eugene,  quoted,  139 

Stone,  George  E.,  14S 

Strategic  and  commercial 
centers,  importance  of 
the.  172 

Sudan,  the,  39,  41,  50; 
great  need  in,  173,  174 

Sudan  United  Mission,  the, 
178 

Suggestions  for  using  the 
questions,  26 

Sumatra,  47,  48;  a  Baptist 
missionary  in,  153;  con- 
verts, 157;  unrest  in,  102 

Sun,  The,  of  New  York, 
quoted,  103 

Sunnis  Moslems,  the,  95 

Superstitions  encouraged 
among  Moslems,  122 

Syria,  t,(>^  37.  148 

Systems  of  belief  in  Arabia, 
10 

"Sword  of  God,"  49;  Is- 
lam's and  ours,  51 

Sword,  the  power  of  the,  80 


Table  of  Bible  and  Moslem 

languages,  a,  94 
Taif,  14 
Talmud,  the,  8 
Tangier,  hospital  at,  152 
Tax-gatherer,  the  religious, 

74 


2r<S 


Index 


Teheran,  imperial  college  in, 

196;  opportunity  in,  197 
Temporary  marriages,  117 
Ternate,  the  king  of,  47 
Theophilus  and  Constantius, 

10 
Thorns,  Dr.  Marion  Wells, 

14S 
Titles  given  to  Mohammed, 

22 
Tocat,   Martyn's  death  at, 

145 

Torah  referred  to,  the,  25     ■ 

Townsend,  Meredith,  quot- 
ed, 2 

Tract  and  book  societies, 
Moslem,  in  Cairo,  127 

Traveler  quoted,  an  Afri- 
can, 183 

Treasures  presei'^^ed  in  the 
sacred  mosque,  77 

Trinity  denied,  the,  65 

Tripoli,  41 

Trumpet  of  Gabriel,  The, 
Moslem  journal,  127 

Truthfulness,  Mohammed's 
teaching  on,  114 

Turk,  terror  of  the,  149 

Turkey  and  Turkish  empire 
as   a   mission   field,    148, 

16s 
Turks  in  India,  46 

U 

Uganda  Notes  quoted,  180 

Unfair  to  Christians,  the 
British  government,  104 

United  Presbyterian  Mis- 
sion in  the  Nile  Valley, 
the,  151,  is6 

United  Free  Church  of  Scot- 
land, the,  148 

University  for  all  India,  the 
Mohammedan,  126 


Unoccupied  lands,  169,  173, 

175 
Upward  struggle,  the,  197 
Usurping  Caliphs,  the,  95 

V 

Vain  repetitions,  70 

Value   of  medical   missions 

in  Moslem  lands,  195 
Vambery,A.,43;  quoted,  164 
Van  Dyck,  Cornelius,  151 
Vernacular    Bible,    demand 

for  the,  155 
Vienna,  siege  of,  41 
Volunteers,  work  for,  206 

W 

V/ahabis  of  Arabia,  the,  80 

Walid,  Caliph,  45 

War-cry  of  Islam,  37 

Watchword  of  Islam,  69 

Watson,  Dr.  Anna,  work  of, 
for  Moslem  women,  195 

Weitbrecht,  Dr.,  classifica- 
tion by, 169 

Wherry,  Dr.  E.  M.,  quoted, 
32,  136,  156,  206 

Wiersum,  Harry  J.,  148 

Wife-beating  allowed  by  the 
Koran,  117 

Wingate,  Colonel  C,  quot- 
ed, 175,  177 

With  the  Pilgrims  to  Mecca, 
quoted,  121 

Wives  of  Mohammed,  the, 
5-21 

Wolff,  Dr.  Joseph,  147 

Women,  appeal  of  women 
missionaries  on  behalf  of 
Moslem,  201-204;  illit- 
eracy of,  in  Baluchistan 
and  Turkey,  122;  legal 
status  of,  in  Islam,  117 


Index 


239 


Word  of  God,    Christ   the, 

19 
Words  used  in  prayer,  7 1 
World-wide  Islam,  87-98 
Wurz,    Pastor    F.,    quoted, 

178 


Yemen,  7,  11 

Yezd,  work  in,  147 

Young  Men  Who  Overcame^ 

quoted,  147 
Yiin-nan  official's  estimate 

of  number  of  Moslems  in 

China,  45 


Zainab,  wife  of  Mohammed, 

16 
Zakat,  or  legal  alms,  levied 
on    camels    and    railway- 
bonds,  74 
Zanzibar,     39;     the     slave- 
traders  of,  116 
Zeal,  Islam's,  34,  49,  50 
Zeid,  wife  of  Mohammed,  20 
Zemzem,  the  well  of,  77 
Zoroastrianism   a   non-mis- 
sionary religion,  2>3 
Zoroastrians,  7 
Zwemer,  Peter  J.,  148,  206 


FORWARD  MISSION  STUDY  COURSES 


"Anywhere,  provided  it  be  forward/'' — David  Living- 
stone. 


Prepared  under  the  direction  of  the 
YOUNG    PEOPLE'S    MISSIONARY    MOVEMENT 

OF  THE   UNITED   STATES   AND  CANADA 

Editorial  Committee:  T.  H.  P.  Sailer,  Chairman, 
George  H.  Wood,  T.  Bronson  Ray,  Howard  B.  Grose, 
S.  Earl  Taylor,  C.  R.  Watson,  John  W.  Wood,  R.  P. 
Mackay,  and  H.  F.  Williams. 


The  Forward  Mission  Study  Courses  are  an  out- 
growth of  a  conference  of  leaders  in  j^oung  people's 
mission  work,  held  in  New  York  City,  December,  1901. 
To  meet  the  need  that  was  manifested  at  that  confer- 
ence for  mission  study  text-books  suitable  for  young 
people,  two  of  the  delegates.  Professor  Amos  R.  Wells, 
of  the  United  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor,  and  Mr. 
S.  Earl  Taylor,  Chairman  of  the  General  Missionary 
Committee  of  the  Epworth  League,  projected  the  For- 
ward Mission  Study  Courses.  These  courses  have 
been  officially  adopted  by  the  Young  People's  Mission- 
ary Movement,  and  are  now  under  the  immediate 
direction  of  the  Editorial  Committee  of  the  Movement. 
The  books  of  the  Movement  are  now  being  used  by 
nearly  forty  home  and  foreign  mission  boards  and 
societies  of  the  United  States  and  Canada. 


THE  MOSLEM   WORLD   Figures  Give  Mohammedan  Population 


'.., FRENCH' 

I40(BRIT.)    V-XALAr  STATES      - 
Y|AND  STRAITS, 
C-\       NSETTLEMENTSj^-t  \     I 


TsyV-*     JAVA    <:SCi.r---ie.  (DUTCnl 


COUNTRIES  HAVING  2,000,000  OR  MORE  MOHAMMEDAN  POPULATION 

INDIA    C2.A5e.077  ^ 


CHINESE  EMPIRE  30.00a000 


JAVA  2^i270.600 


RUSSIA  15.906.972 


SENEGAMBIAHtllGER     9,000.000 
TgypT    a97et775 


PERSIA  6^600.000 
'NIGERIA    6.000.000 


MOROCCO    5.600.000 

ALdERIA     4.072,0e0 
"AFGHANISTAN     3  982.448 
INDEPENDENT  ARABIA    3.000.000 
HlMATRA  3  000  000 
IfrURKEYIN  EUROPE  2.050.000 
]C0NG0  STATE    2.000.000 
IkAMERUN    2.000.000 


CHIEF  POWERS  GOVERNING  ISLAM 

GREAT  BRITAIN    64240  305 


ICMINA   30,000.000 


Islam  by 
Continents 


':»i,  EUROPEAN 

Iafrican 


ASIATIC 


NETHER<^NDS  29.026,350 

FRANCE  ^0.25832^1 

RUSSIA    15  9)06,9721] 

TURKEY    I55fe&a0bi 

PERSIA  S.SOO.OOJD" 

MOROCCO  5.600,000  I 

AFGHANISTAN  3.982.446 


INDEPENDENT  ARABIA  3.000.000 

[MALAYSIAN  Germany  2.572.500 


The  aim  is  to  publish  a  scries  of  text-books  cover- 
ing the  various  home  and  foreign  mission  fields,  and 
written  by  leading  authorities.  The  entire  series  when 
completed  will  comprise  perhaps  as  many  as  forty 
text-books. 

Already  over  450,000  of  the  following  text-books  have 
been  published : 

1.  The  Price  of  Africa.  (Biographical.)  By  S 
Earl  Taylor. 

2.  Into  All  the  World.  A  general  survey  of  mis- 
sions.    By  Amos   R.   Wells. 

3.  Princely  Men  in  the  Heavenly  Kingdom. 
(Biographical.)     By  Harlan  P.  Beach. 

4.  Sunrise  in  the  Sunrise  Kingdom.  A  study  of 
Japan.    By  John  H.  De  Forest. 

5.  Heroes  of  the  Cross  in  America.  Home  Mis- 
sions.    (Biographical.)     By  Don  O.  Shelton. 

6.  Daybreak  in  the  Dark  Continent.  A  study  of 
Africa.     By  Wilson  S.  Naylor. 

7.  The  Christian  Conquest  of  India.  A  study  of 
India.     By  James  M.  Thoburn. 

8.  Aliens  or  Americans?  A  study  of  Immigration. 
By  Howard  B.  Grose. 

9.  The  Uplift  of  China.  A  study  of  China.  By 
Arthur  H.  Smith. 

10.  The  Challenge  of  the  City.  A  study  of  the 
City.    By  Josiah  Strong. 

11.  The  Why  and  How  of  Foreign  Missions.  A 
study  of  missionary  motives  and  work.  By  Arthur  J. 
Brown. 

12.  The  Moslem  World.  A  study  of  Mohammed- 
anism and  missionary  work.     By  Samuel   M.  Zw^emer. 

These  books  are  published  by  mutual  arrangement 
among  the  home  and  foreign  mission  boards,  to  whom 
all  orders  should  be  addressed.  They  are  bound  uni- 
formly, and  are  sold  for  50  cents,  in  cloth,  and  35  cents, 
in  paper,  postage  extra. 


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